New York Knicks: Previewing the Upcoming Road Trip
By Toby Jaffe
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets
The opening game of the road trip will be against one of the league’s most woebegone teams, that of the Houston Rockets. Houston is relying heavily on players like Kelly Olynyk and Christian Wood, so anything short of a Knicks victory would be unacceptable.
The Knicks walloped the Rockets on February 13th at the Garden. Given that several of the guys who donned Rockets uniforms that night are no longer with the team, it’s difficult to know what to make of the game. Julius Randle put together a solid 22 point 9 rebound game while Immanuel Quickley added 22 of his own off the bench.
That game represented the 5th loss in what would become a 20 game losing streak, and the Rockets have only won four games since. Thusly, regardless of the roster differences on the opponent’s end, the Knicks should have little trouble with this one. There is a trap game risk, though, given that the Knicks have much more difficult opponents in the games that follow and that the Rockets have absolutely nothing to lose.
The team will hope to have Alec Burks, who scored 19 points off the bench in the April 9th matchup, back by this game. Burks has been sidelined for a while now due to the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols and just rejoined the team this week.
New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The Knicks will travel to Memphis for a game the night after their battle with Houston.
Matchups with the Grizzlies are always fun due to the 2019 draft narrative surrounding Ja Morant vs. RJ Barrett. Barrett got the better of Ja on April 9th, when he led the Knicks to a thrilling overtime victory against Memphis at the Garden. Barrett scored 20 points in that one and hit clutch shots in the 4th quarter and OT.
The 2021 Grizzlies are a lot like the Knicks. They play hard on both ends of the floor, are stocked with young talent, and rely on veteran big men for leadership. Morant has been scorching over the last five games, averaging 29 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.6. rebounds.