Nets at Knicks
The last time the two teams from New York City met, they both had 18 losses and were in a virtual tie at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Much has changed in the roughly six weeks since the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets last tangled, and the red-hot Nets hope to keep their respective trends alive when they host the Knicks on Friday.
Brooklyn won at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8 early on in its current 18-5 surge, which includes five consecutive wins overall and seven straight at home. "It's becoming routine and I think we have that belief that we can win more so than we have in my tenure here," Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie told reporters after Wednesday's 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. The loss to Brooklyn last month was early in New York's 2-20 slide, which includes Wednesday's 114-110 loss to the Houston Rockets, capping an 0-5 homestand. Coach David Fizdale was ejected as the Knicks allowed Rockets guard James Harden to go off for 61 points, tied for the most ever by a visiting player at Madison Square Garden.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (10-36): As New York shuffles its rotation in search of something that works, it has left veteran center Enes Kanter on the outs, first removing him from the starting lineup last month and then leaving him on the bench for the entirety of Wednesday's defeat. "I want to play basketball. We're all competitors. I want to play basketball," Kanter told reporters. "So just if you're going to play me here, play me. If not, then just get me out of here." The 26-year-old, who is averaging 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in his second season with the Knicks, had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 14 boards in the last game against the Nets.
ABOUT THE NETS (26-23): Guard D'Angelo Russell recorded 25 points and 10 assists against the Magic and he's averaging 24.1 and 7.7 in January as he makes a push for his first career All-Star Game selection. Dinwiddie had 29 points in 30 minutes off the bench, making Wednesday the fourth game in which both he and Russell have reached the 20-point mark in the same game. "I see more as they are meshing. More and more every time," coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of Russell and Dinwiddie. "I know advanced stuff says they don't play well together, but they're going to be in at the end of the game."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (shoulder) left Wednesday's game and is day-to-day.
2. Knicks rookie SG Allonzo Trier scored a career-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the loss to the Rockets.
3. Brooklyn SF Rodions Kurucs is 28-for-44 from the floor over a five-game stretch.