Nuggets at Knicks
THE STORY: When the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony in a blockbuster deal from the Denver Nuggets last season, they thought they were getting a player who could lead them to their first NBA title since 1973. He still might, but there isn’t much optimism to support that belief at the moment. Maybe Saturday’s first meeting against his old team will help get Anthony and host New York going. The Knicks are 20-27 – including playoffs – with Anthony; the Nuggets are 29-16 since he left the Mile High City. Danilo Gallinari, Denver’s biggest return in the Anthony trade, also faces his former team for the first time. Denver has won the first three games on its five-game road trip after Friday’s 108-104 victory at Washington. The Knicks have lost five straight – and three in a row at home – following Friday’s 100-86 setback to Milwaukee at Madison Square Garden.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV, Altitude (Denver), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (11-5): Denver’s depth and up-tempo offense – it leads the NBA with more than 21 fast-break points per game – are largely responsible for its early success. The Nuggets have 10 players averaging at least 13 minutes, and six averaging double figures in scoring. Denver is also unselfish: It leads the NBA with 24.2 assists per game. Nene missed Friday’s game with a bruised heel but is expected to play Saturday.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (6-9): Anthony rolls into Saturday’s game off a 35-point performance, his sixth 30-plus game of the season, before he was ejected after picking up his second technical with 1:33 left. But he is shooting only 41.2 percent from the field, a mirror of the Knicks’ 41 percent, which is third-worst in the NBA. New York’s only other legitimate offensive weapon – Amar’e Stoudemire – is averaging 18.1 points, well below his 21.8 career average.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Knicks have failed to reach 100 points in seven straight games, their worst stretch since Mike D’Antoni became coach in 2008.
2. The Nuggets are 8-2 when they score 100 points and are an NBA-best 5-3 when their opponent reaches the century mark.