Knicks at Wizards
With the Brooklyn Nets slow to cohere, this could have been a golden opportunity for the New York Knicks to seize control of the Atlantic Division. But the Knicks find themselves even worse off than their geographical rivals as they bring a four-game losing streak into Saturday's game against the host Washington Wizards. New York dropped to 3-8 on the season with a 103-96 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, while the Wizards fell 96-88 in Toronto on Friday night.
Washington squandered a virtuoso performance from standout point guard John Wall, who erupted for a season-best 37 points on 15-of-21 shooting. Wall was a one-man wrecking crew in the third quarter against the Raptors, pouring in 18 points to outscore Toronto by himself. He'll likely meet his scoring match in New York forward Carmelo Anthony, who was one of the Knicks' lone bright spots against the Pacers with 30 points and a season-best 18 rebounds.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (3-8): Slow starts for any New York professional franchise usually lead to scuttlebutt about the head coach's immediate future - and Knicks bench boss Mike Woodson is not immune. But owner James Dolan told the New York Post in an exclusive interview published Friday that Woodson's job is safe - a revelation that Woodson greatly appreciated. "It means a lot," he told the Post. "But this is not about me. This is about our team digging ourselves out of the hole. Thank God that nobody's running away with the division."
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (4-8): Washington head coach Randy Wittman's job may not be in jeopardy - not yet, at least - but he may want a bit of a vacation after watching his team melt down in the fourth quarter against Toronto. Wittman was seen berating his players during two different timeouts in the frame, the fallout from Washington outscoring the Raptors 32-15 in the third quarter before getting dominated 30-18 in the fourth. Shooting guard Bradley Beal fell back to Earth after averaging better than 26 points in his previous three games, finishing with just 17.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New York has won nine of the last 10 meetings, including a 120-99 drubbing in their previous encounter April 9.
2. Wall is averaging 18.7 points in nine career games versus the Knicks.
3. New York F Amar'e Stoudemire sat out Wednesday to rest, but is expected to return Saturday.