NBA Match Preview: New York Knicks vs Washington Wizards
Leading the head to head 1-0, New York Knicks visit Washington Wizards on Friday night. Playing at the Verizon Center, this will be the two teams’ second meeting this season.
Enjoying their longest winning streak on the road this season; the Knicks look to extend this streak tonight as they visit the Wizards. Winning seven straight matches on the road, the Knicks are currently at a 9-4 win loss mark on the road this season. In
addition to their seven straight wins on the road, Knicks are also on a six game winning streak having won all their games between 30th Nov and 8th Dec.
Their latest win came Wednesday when they hosted and defeated the Toronto Raptors. In a late three-pointer by Raymond Felton, the Knicks were able to secure a 113-110 win over the Raptors. Felton scored 20 of the total 28 points in the first half of the
game. With 11 assists also, Felton registered his fifth double-doubles in six games.
Power forward Amar’e Stoudemire put in his sixth straight game with more than 30 points. Stoudemire scored 34 points in the game, registering 18 of those in the final twelve minutes. Looking forward to tonight’s match, Stoudemire hopes to become the second
player in franchise history to score almost 30 points for seven straight games. Stoudemire received the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honour on Monday.
Talking to the press, a delighted Stoudemire said, "It's a lot of fun. Anytime you can win the way we have been and play with this type of swagger and enjoy the camaraderie, it's so much fun. You just want to keep that feeling going."
With the Knicks enjoying an impressive 14-9 in the standings, the Wizards are trailing with a disappointing 6-15. Although, they stand at a disappointing 0-12 on the road, they enjoy a 6-3 at home. Their last win at home came last Friday when they defeated
the Portland Trail Blazers by a margin of four points.
After their latest defeat on the road to Sacramento Kings, guard Gilbert Arenas said, "It's frustrating that we are two different teams - a great team at home and a terrible team on the road. We just have to find a happy medium."
Averaging 108.0 points between them, Wizards will be missing their stars Andray Blatche and John Wall. Wall is out due to a sore foot while Blatche will be missing his second game due to a hip contusion.
Although, Knicks enjoy the statistical advantage, the Wizards have the home court on their side. Wizards impressive 6-3 at home is matched by Knicks’ 9-4 on the road. Though it is difficult to suggest who would be the winner, Knicks are probably the favourites
given their recent run. Will the Wizards go on a two game winning streak at home and level the head to head? Or will the Knicks continue to extend their winning streak this season, going 2-0 in the head to head? It remains to be seen.
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