Nets at Knicks
The New York Knicks have their usual set of issues - both on and off the court - as they commence their final multi-game homestand of the season Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. In the wake of a perceived tiff between coach Kurt Rambis and guard Arron Afflalo, star rookie Kristaps Porzingis missed Wednesday's loss in Dallas with a strained shoulder and point guard Jose Calderon left the contest with a quad injury.
Carmelo Anthony did his best to fill the void with 31 points but he missed two potential go-ahead shots and had a turnover in the final minute. The Nets matched the Knicks' current three-game losing streak with a 107-87 loss at Cleveland on Thursday, their eighth consecutive defeat on the road. Brook Lopez and rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson both were given the night off for Brooklyn, which has been outscored by an average of 21.7 points in the first three games of their current four-game road trip. The Nets have claimed the last two meetings with their crosstown rivals - both at home - and are 6-1 versus the Knicks over the last two seasons.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE NETS (21-54): Center Henry Sims started for Lopez and was held without a field goal in 19 minutes while fellow starter Wayne Ellington went 0-of-8 against Cleveland. On the flip side was the continued solid play of point guard Shane Larkin, who hit his only two 3-point tries and finished with 13 points and eight assists. Larkin has scored in double digits in six of his last nine games after doing so six times between mid-December and mid-March.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (30-46): Derrick Williams was given a rare start in place of Porzingis on Wednesday and responded with 15 points and eight rebounds. He was part of a starting unit that combined to shoot 55.8 percent from the floor, but the bench finished at 32.4 percent and Afflalo continued to struggle. The starter-turned-reserve was 1-of-7 from the floor in 31 minutes and has scored in single digits in three straight games for just the second time this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Anthony is averaging 25 points while hitting 58.3 percent of his 3-point tries against Brooklyn this season.
2. Lopez had 33 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the previous meeting.
3. This marks Brooklyn's fourth game in five days, its only such stretch of the season.