After both teams snapped two-game skids Saturday, the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets look to keep things headed in the right direction when they square off Monday in Houston. The Rockets, who are coming off a 95-92 home win over Dallas despite playing without star center Dwight Howard, have won nine straight in the series dating to Jan. 26, 2009. The Knicks haven't won at Houston in even longer, losing nine straight dating to Nov. 18, 2004.
When these teams get together, it tends to turn into a shootout between Houston's James Harden, who averaged 36.5 points in two games against the Knicks last season, and New York's Carmelo Anthony, who put up 35 per game in those contests. Harden came up big with 32 points against the Mavericks on Saturday while Anthony put up 25 as the Knicks held off winless Philadelphia for a 91-83 home win. After winning at Cleveland in their first road game of the season, the Knicks have lost five straight away from home and are giving up a whopping 108.6 points in those contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT Southwest (Houston), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (4-10): New York's success is highly dependent on Anthony (23.9 points, 5.7 rebounds), who averages nearly twice as many field-goal attempts than any of his teammates. The Knicks have had good and bad news on the injury front recently, as Jose Calderon (calf) made his season debut against the Sixers but 7-footer Andrea Bargnani remains sidelined. Bargnani has been out with a hamstring injury and was close to coming back before suffering a strained calf in practice Friday.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (10-3): Harden (24.4 points, 6.7 assists, 6.4 rebounds) has been good enough to carry Houston through some injury woes, and newcomer Trevor Ariza (13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds) has been a solid addition at both ends of the floor. Howard (18.8 points, 11.3 rebounds) has missed the past two games with a strained right knee, a big blow to an already thin frontcourt with forward Terrence Jones (14 points, 7.5 rebounds) sidelined with a leg injury. Point guard Patrick Beverley (hamstring) also missed practice Sunday but expects to play after matching his career high with 20 points against Dallas.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets are 8-0 when they win the rebounding battle and 6-0 when they score 100 or more points.
2. New York F Amar'e Stoudemire has scored in double figures in three straight games and is coming off his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds versus the 76ers.
3. Houston makes an NBA-best 12 3-pointers per game and went 15-for-46 from behind the arc against Dallas.