Magic at Knicks
THE STORY: Rumors were swirling a week ago that the New York Knicks were engaged in talks with the Orlando Magic to acquire superstar center Dwight Howard. Even though the price tag for the Knicks would be hefty, with forward Amar'e Stoudemire included, Howard provided another reminder of why he will be the most coveted player on the free-agent market in July if he fails to re-sign with the Magic. The former No. 1 pick turned in a spectacular performance in Thursday's win at Golden State, erupting for 45 points and grabbing 23 rebounds to help Orlando complete a three-game sweep of its three-game road trip. Howard shattered a 50-year-old record in the process, attempting 39 free throws to eclipse the previous record of 34 set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. The Knicks are expecting star forward Carmelo Anthony to return to the lineup after he sat out Saturday’s beating at Oklahoma City.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Sunshine, MSG.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (8-3): Orlando averaged a shade over 109 points in its wins at Sacramento, Portland and Golden State. Howard, who leads the league in rebounding at 15.2 per game, had a relatively quiet road trip prior to his eruption against the Warriors, going for a combined 18 points and 17 rebounds in the previous two games. Hedo Turkoglu, who also has been mentioned in trade talks, had 20 points at Golden State to give him 10 straight games in double figures.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (6-6): Anthony sustained wrist and ankle injuries in an 11-point loss at Memphis on Thursday and sat out a blowout loss to the Thunder on Saturday. New York had limited opponents to 85.5 points per game during a four-game winning streak prior to the defeat to the Grizzlies, but was torched for 70 first-half points by Oklahoma City. Stoudemire had two of his most unproductive efforts with 20 points and nine rebounds combined in the two losses.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Howard has posted eight double-double this season. He has nine straight double-doubles against New York.
2. Knicks rookie G Iman Shumpert is shooting only 28.9 percent (13 of 45) in his last three games. He has hit just three of his last 21 3-point attempts.