On a Super Bowl Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers will head to New York City to clash with the reeling Knicks in a battle between two lower echelon teams.
How bad are these teams? For starters, this game was supposed to be nationally televised on ESPN, but the poor play by the two sides forced the NBA to drop them. In addition, both teams have a combined record of 22-71.
However, in the midst of this dreadful season for both teams, there is still a small storyline coming into the game. Derek Fisher will be coaching against his former team where he played 13 seasons and won five championship rings. The downside is that none of the players Fisher played with remain on the Lakers roster, aside from Kobe Bryant who is nursing a shoulder injury.
Currently, the Knicks own the second worst record in the league, but they have gathered a few W’s of late, winning the last four out of six games. Their last game was against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday when they lost, 103-82.
Carmelo Anthony put in 18 points in that game, while Lou Amundson, who was signed for the remainder of the season earlier this week, scored 17 points in 21 minutes. Newly signed Amundson, Langston Galloway, and Lance Thomas have rejuvenated the struggling Knicks. Although Galloway only had four points in their last game, he had scored double-figures in the previous five games and has been averaging 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 10 games with New York.
For the Lakers, Wayne Ellington and Jordan Clarkson have been taking full advantage of the extra minutes they are receiving due to Bryant sitting out for the season.
Ellington poured in 23 points while adding five boards in Los Angeles’ impressive double overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls in their last game. Jordan Clarkson filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. However, Jordan Hill scored a team-high 26 points and snatched 12 rebounds. The Lakers looked amazing against the Bulls, as they look to build on the victory.
“We can surprise a lot of people out there if we keep playing like we did tonight,” Hill said after Thursday’s win.
The Lakers are still likely to be without Nick Young, as the sixth man is nursing an ankle injury he suffered during practice on Monday. He has done some light running but has not been able to move like normal.
The Knicks, meanwhile, will continue to be without Amar’e Stoudemire who has been out three consecutive games due to an ankle injury. Cole Aldrich is considered questionable with a shin bruise, while Travis Wear is also questionable with a hip injury. Andrea Bargnani, who has only played two games all season and is likely to be waived after the All-Star break, continues to sit with a calf injury.
This will be the first of two meetings between the two teams. They split the season series last season, with each team winning on their home floor.
The game tips off at 2 pm Eastern Standard Time.