The New York Knicks (5-22) have fallen to 14th place in the Eastern Conference and have lost 12 games out of the last 13. Their most recent loss came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Their opponent, the Chicago Bulls are in fourth place, and they have won six games out of the last 10. Their most recent loss came at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks will try to even the series 1-1 after their embarrassing home opening loss to the Chicago Bulls. Both teams are looking to vindicate themselves after their recent losses.
The Knicks are especially in a tough place. They are about a third of the season through, and they have yet to figure out how to win games. Thursday night will prove to be especially difficult with Amar'e Stoudemire (rest) and J.R. Smith (heel) out for Thursday night's game. Carmelo Anthony is questionable for Thursday night's game, as he might take a rest day due to his lingering knee issues (ESPN.com).
With most of their scorers on the bench, they will have to look to Tim Hardaway Jr. to provide the bulk of their scoring. At this point, he has not been very efficient. He is averaging 10.1 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from long distance (NBA.com).
Although he is one of their few scorers, the Knicks will have to depend on him to be efficient. They do not have an inside threat, and Jose Calderon is the only other player that would be able to provide floor spacing. Therefore, tonight's game will prove to be especially difficult for Hardaway to lead the Knicks to a surprise victory over the Bulls.
Among their scoring woes, their defense has been horrendous. They are currently ranked 27th in the NBA in defensive rating and are holding opponents to 99.6 points per game, which ranks them 15th in the NBA (Basketball-Reference.com). They have also lost their top defender, Iman Shumpert, for three weeks due to a dislocated shoulder.
The Knicks will need a perfect TEAM game to pull out the victory. The players will not only have to keep trusting the system, but they have to execute it as well. They have had issues in the past trusting the system. They cannot afford to veer away from the system that they have been trying to build since training camp. At this point, it's a matter of belief and effort than it is knowledge of the system. Either way, tonight's game will be tough for the Knicks.
The game tips off at 8:00 PM EST on TNT.