76ers at Knicks
THE STORY: With Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire paired together for an entire season, the New York Knicks have lofty hopes of taking their place among the higher-echelon teams in the Eastern Conference. New York's next opponent has the same idea and has beaten the Knicks to the punch thus far. The surging Philadelphia 76ers roll into Madison Square Garden riding a six-game winning streak and sitting atop the Atlantic Division as they prepare for a matchup with the Knicks on Wednesday night. New York has overcome injuries and a wobbly start to the season to string together three straight wins and climb above .500 for the first time since the season opener. The winning streak hasn’t deluded New York coach Mike D’Antoni into thinking his team is where it needs to be. “We aren’t a confident team,” D'Antoni said. “It’s going to take a while to get to that and wins do help.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSP, MSG
ABOUT THE 76ERS (7-2): Philadelphia will be playing its third game in as many nights and fourth in the last five. The Sixers put up a season-high point total in 112-85 rout of Sacramento on Tuesday night. They are off to their best start since going 10-0 in 2000-01. Elton Brand led six players in double figures with a season-high 21 points with 10 rebounds – a vital contribution because starting C Spencer Hawes sat out the second half with a lower back strain.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-4): Center Tyson Chandler had his best game of the season for New York, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 boards in Monday’s 91-87 win over Charlotte. Chandler also blocked three shots and had three steals. Chandler may have had some extra motivation, for had he not signed with the Knicks, he would have been at the White House on Monday along with the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, who were being feted by President Barack Obama.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. During their six-game winning streak, the Sixers are allowing opponents an average of 79.7 points per game.
2. Knicks rookie G Iman Shumpert has a total of 11 steals and has scored in double figures in all four games since returning from a sprained knee.