Nets at Knicks
The New York Knicks make a quick pit stop at home before a return to the rigors of the road when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Knicks wrapped up a seven-game road trip with a 3-4 mark after a 107-85 victory at Phoenix on Friday, and they will play 10 of their next 15 away from home after the matchup with the Nets.
The frontcourt of Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for 54 points on 20-of-34 shooting in the victory over the Suns, which also matched New York's best defensive effort of the season. "They really got after it. They made a concerted effort to really go out there every play," coach Hornacek said. "I told them after the game I don't think there was one stretch of a two-minute period where we let up." Brooklyn lost each of the first three meetings with their cross-town rivals and also dropped their last three on their current five-game road trip. The starters combined for 34 points in the 111-97 loss at Minnesota on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE NETS (18-32): Brooklyn was without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin), Caris LeVert (groin) and D'Angelo Russell (rest) at Minnesota, and it lost coach Kenny Atkinson to an ejection in the fourth quarter. "Guys are a little fatigued," Atkinson said. "This is a tough road trip. I'm glad we didn't give in. This team doesn't give in. The majority of the time I've been here, the attitude's been excellent. I knew they weren't going to give up. Even after I got thrown out, they still kept fighting for the old man." The shorthanded situation gave an opportunity to little-used big man Jahlil Okafor, who scored a season-high 21 points in 24 minutes.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (22-28): After totaling 20 points through his first four games with New York, Trey Burke scored 18 points in back-to-back contests while shooting 16-for-26. He did it in just 18 minutes at Phoenix but may begin to steal even more playing time from fellow guard Frank Ntilikina, who is averaging 3.2 points on 8-for-25 shooting over his last six games. "Obviously, when [Burke] plays like that, we've got to find time for him," Hornacek said. "There might be situations where we can give Tim [Hardaway] and Courtney [Lee] maybe a little more rest with maybe two of our point guards in there. We have that possibility."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Ntilikina had his best game as a Knick with 10 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 29 minutes in the 119-104 win at Brooklyn on Jan. 15.
2. Nets C Jarrett Allen is 17-for-21 from the field over a five-game span.
3. Porzingis is averaging 23 points on 54.2 percent shooting in three matchups with Brooklyn this season.