
Madison Square Garden hosts one of the most lopsided matchups of the season tonight as the New York Knicks (46-25) welcome a Washington Wizards team (16-54).
This is the kind of game playoff-bound teams must win convincingly, and the Knicks have every reason to do exactly that.
Washington is coming to New York as one of the most depleted teams in the league. Anthony Davis won't be playing since he's got a finger injury, D'Angelo Russell won't be playing for non-injury reasons, Cam Whitmore is out for the season after hurting his shoulder, Kyshawn George also has an elbow problem, and Leaky Black is not available either.
All these aspects, along with the Knicks' attempt to prove they don't struggle against low-seed teams, will take this game in the Knicks' favor.
Karl-Anthony Towns will easily dominate a weakened Washington frontcourt. He has already achieved an incredible 49 double-doubles this season, along with scoring 26 points and collecting 15 rebounds in his last close victory against Brooklyn.
You can expect him to score 25-28 points and rebounds in double-digits. In fact, he might even steal the ball from the Washington bigs on several occasions due to their being overpowered and outmatched physically, thus drawing fouls, and then going to the foul line where he will be shooting almost around 90%.
The Knicks have developed a bad habit. Against Brooklyn, they were 14-22 in the first quarter. Against the Wizards, New York has no excuse not to attack from the opening tip.
We can expect the Knicks to establish KAT in the post early, push the pace off Washington turnovers, and build a commanding first-quarter lead that takes the drama out of this one entirely.
This massive win potential is an excellent chance for the second team to get significant playing time and gain confidence.
Jordan Clarkson should be able to get his shot off quite a bit and shoot pull-up midrange jumpers against the Washington defense. Expect him to score around 12-15 points coming off the bench.
Jose Alvarado will be the one to energize the team and bring heavy defensive pressure, further hampering Washington's already very limited ball movement.
This is a gift game, and the Knicks should enjoy it. The brutal stretch ahead demands answers. Just don't disappoint the Garden. A clean win is more than enough.
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