Knicks at Nets
Just days after president of operations Phil Jackson acknowledged that his triangle offense "has fallen flat on its face," the New York Knicks seek to continue their best stretch of the season Friday when they visit their cross-town rival Brooklyn Nets. Jackson, whose team has won five of eight after a 5-36 start, also told the New York Times this season was "like nothing I've seen before." The Nets sit in ninth place in the East but have won two straight for the first time in over a month.
Knicks coach Derek Fisher, like other Jackson disciples (Jim Cleamons, Bill Cartwright, Kurt Rambis) has struggled with the triangle offense but says he was not forced to run the offense. "I'm not trying to duplicate or carbon copy exactly what (Jackson) did," Fisher told ESPNNewYork.com. "The same way he didn't do that to Tex Winter (a Bulls assistant under Jackson). He hired me to coach the team, so I have to do what I think is best for these guys, and we're going to continue to evolve in that fashion." Brooklyn feels that it may be starting to put it together, but the Nets could really use a win before starting a season-high eight-game road trip sandwiched around the All-Star break.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (10-39): New York dropped a 108-97 decision to Boston on Tuesday, as Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and Jose Calderon added 17. "I don't think we had it from an energy standpoint. It seemed like, just, dead out there," Anthony said. "No energy." Rookie find Langston Galloway has hit just 8-of-29 shots in his last three games after draining 30-of-63 attempts in his first five starts.
ABOUT THE NETS (20-28): Jarrett Jack scored 24 points and Alan Anderson added a season-high 22 in Wednesday's 109-93 win against the Raptors just two days after Brooklyn knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers. “I just told the coaches, it’s very humbling to see your team start to get it,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “You fight ‘em and fight ‘em and yell at them and coax them and hug them. You’re doing all kinds of stuff and all of a sudden the lights come on.” Brooklyn, which sits one-half game out of the eighth playoff spot behind Miami, is playing its eighth game (3-4) during a stretch in which 13 of 16 games are on the road.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets have won both games this season, as Deron Williams (24), Brook Lopez (21.5) and Joe Johnson (20) have each averaged 20 or more points while Anthony has tallied 39 total for the Knicks.
2. Knicks F Amar'e Stoudemire (ankle) and G Pablo Prigioni (hip) did not play against the Celtics and are questionable for Friday.
3. Jack is averaging 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 rebounds over 36.0 minutes in his 23 starts.