Nuggets at Knicks
The Denver Nuggets will try to give the fans in their region something to occupy their minds and release some nervous energy in advance of the Super Bowl on Sunday. The Nuggets will visit the New York Knicks on Sunday, hours before the Denver Broncos are scheduled to kick off against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Denver picked up its third win in the last five games with a 115-110 home triumph over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, and each of the team’s last five victories have come against Eastern Conference competition. Danilo Gallinari is leading the charge and relentlessly attacked the basket on Friday en route to an 18-of-18 effort from the free-throw line and 33 points. The Knicks will try to stop Gallinari, who began his career in New York, with a depleted frontcourt that was missing starting forward Carmelo Anthony on Friday. Anthony underwent an MRI on his sore left knee that showed no structural damage and he is considered day-to-day.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (20-31): Denver overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Friday’s win and is beginning to execute at the end of games like head coach Michael Malone expects. “You want to win close games? You want to close teams out? You have to have good execution, value the ball, get the best shot possible, play good defense and rebound,” Malone told reporters. “If you do that, you're going to win a lot of games." The Nuggets outscored the Bulls 42-21 in that fourth quarter after being outscored 32-18 in the third.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (23-30): New York has dropped four straight and eight of its last nine games, with the lone win in that span coming at home over the struggling Phoenix Suns. Jose Calderon picked up some of Anthony’s scoring load with 18 points on Friday but the Knicks shot 37.5 percent from the floor without the superstar directing the offense. Anthony will be watched closely with just two games left before the All-Star break and could get an extended rest if he decides to skip the festivities in Toronto and sit out the next two weeks.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks C Robin Lopez is averaging 13 rebounds in the last three games and came within one point of his third straight double-double on Friday.
2. Nuggets C Nikola Jokic knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on Friday and has hit at least one in four straight games.
3. The home team has taken the last six in the series, with Denver’s last win in New York coming on Jan. 21, 2012.