Pelicans at Knicks
The New York Knicks were hoping to use a come-from-behind road win at Milwaukee as a stepping stone but instead fell into a 29-point hole at Indiana the next night and could not find their way out. The Knicks will try to avoid an eighth loss in nine games when they return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
Defense is the biggest concern for New York of late, and the Indiana Pacers shot 50 percent from the floor while breezing to a 123-109 win. "We just didn’t come out with enough energy, I guess," Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis told reporters. "It was really hard to stop them early on. Then, obviously, once you’re down so much, it’s kind of like playing uphill. You’re giving your all, but it’s tough to get back in the game." The Pelicans are riding their own momentum roller coaster and followed a four-game winning streak with three straight losses. "We don’t have time to play at the level we’re playing," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "For us, everything is a crisis situation. We’ve got to be able to correct the errors right away."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (14-24): New Orleans brought in some reinforcements along the front line with the signing of veteran power forward Donatas Motiejunas, who went 4-of-5 from the floor en route to 11 points and added five rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Motiejunas, who was a restricted free agent before eventually being released by the Houston Rockets, has a history of back injuries but insists he's healthy. “In those five/six months I didn’t play, I had a choice like everyone else has a choice when they don’t play - sit on the couch or go real hard," Motiejunas told reporters. "I spent all those days every month, all those days I spent in June working extra so that my transition would be as smooth as possible. Even though at this point I still feel like I’m missing something, I think it's going to come back really soon."
ABOUT THE KNICKS (17-20): The Pelicans contributed to New York's recent swoon with a 104-92 win on Dec. 30 despite 26 points and 13 rebounds from Carmelo Anthony. The star forward slumped to 17 points and two boards in the loss at Indiana on Saturday and is playing through a shoulder injury. Porzingis recently missed three games with an Achilles injury but was solid in two games since his return, averaging 20 points while going 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks SG Courtney Lee is 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the last three games.
2. Pelicans PF Anthony Davis recorded double-doubles in four straight games and eight of nine.
3. The home team took each of the last five in the series, with New Orleans' last victory in New York coming on Dec. 1, 2013.