New York Knicks: Three players to watch against Spurs
The New York Knicks will return home to face a floundering San Antonio Spurs team. Who are the three players to watch?
Following a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks will return home to complete their season series with the San Antonio Spurs. These teams played on opening night, marking the Knicks’ first loss and what became just San Antonio’s first of five wins to open 2019-20’s first month.
For their game on Saturday, Nov. 23, each team has players who need positive performances to ensure a victory. Who are the three that stand out?
Frank Ntilikina
Not known for his scoring, Frank Ntilikina‘s 6-for-8 shooting against the Philadelphia 76ers brought him a season-high 17 points, including two makes from behind the arc. A few of his passes to open players didn’t result in assists, thus the zero for this statistic.
Saturday night in the Frenchman’s encore, in front of a Knicks crowd that always supports him. He will look to cash in against an opponent that he barely played against in the season opener, looking to facilitate the offense and keep that offensive outpouring consistent.
Dejounte Murray
Turning to the Spurs, Dejounte Murray torched the Knicks on opening night, accumulating 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. No one could stop him, but the Knicks also sparingly used Ntilikina in that game.
Murray followed that performance with three double-doubles over the next two weeks. But his production has slipped in recent games, with 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his last seven appearances. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich even removed him from the starting lineup in a six-point loss to the Washington Wizards.
Look for San Antonio’s point guard to try to regain the footing that made him electric to start the season. He could be the catalyst towards this team’s much-needed victory, or fall into the background of yet another loss.
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is a “yeah, no kidding” option for a player to watch. He still averages over 22 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, which is another All-Star-caliver stat line.
As Pounding the Rock called out, though, DeRozan is not known for his defensive play — at all, noting a clip of him watching Bradley Beal freely drive to the hoop for a score.
If Popovich can’t receive even an average defensive game from his leading scorer, it could be RJ Barrett‘s night to shine, especially after four single-digit performances in his last seven games. He scored 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting in the season opener, too, so look for a standout game from the New York Knicks’ prized rookie.