Grizzlies and Knicks Face Off In Sunday Matinee
The Memphis Grizzlies take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.
The Grizzlies come into Sunday's tilt with an ignominious 1-10 record over their last 11 games. Injuries have played a significant part in their struggles, and accordingly, a significantly short-handed Memphis squad most recently lost by a 100-92 margin to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Shelvin Mack paced the Grizzlies with 19 points, adding nine assists, one rebound and two steals. Ivan Rabb and Justin Holiday contributed matching 15-point efforts while hauling in five and four rebounds, respectively. Joakim Noah contributed a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench that also featured two assists and one block. JaMychal Green matched Noah's scoring tally and also posted three rebounds.
The Grizzlies will have a host of players with different injury designations ahead of Sunday's game. Jaren Jackson, Jr. (quadriceps) is probable, Mike Conley (knee) is questionable, Garrett Temple (shoulder) is doubtful and both Omri Casspi (knee) and Kyle Anderson (shoulder) are out.
The Knicks (10-41) check into Sunday's contest in as desperate a need of a win as their record implies. New York has dropped 12 straight games, with their most recent stumble coming against the Boston Celtics by a 113-99 score on Friday night. Damyean Dotson paced the Knicks with 22 points, adding six rebounds. Kevin Knox collected 21 points, five rebounds and two assists. Noah Vonleh mustered a modest seven points but also hauled in 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Mario Hezonja led the bench with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Knicks will be without Emmanuel Mudiay (shoulder) and Frank Ntilikina (groin) on Sunday. Recent trade acquisitions Dennis Smith, Jr., Wesley Matthews and Deandre Jordan are all likely game-time decisions.
Sunday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Knicks hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 103-98 victory back on Nov. 3.
The Grizzlies come into Sunday's tilt with an ignominious 1-10 record over their last 11 games. Injuries have played a significant part in their struggles, and accordingly, a significantly short-handed Memphis squad most recently lost by a 100-92 margin to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Shelvin Mack paced the Grizzlies with 19 points, adding nine assists, one rebound and two steals. Ivan Rabb and Justin Holiday contributed matching 15-point efforts while hauling in five and four rebounds, respectively. Joakim Noah contributed a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench that also featured two assists and one block. JaMychal Green matched Noah's scoring tally and also posted three rebounds.
The Grizzlies will have a host of players with different injury designations ahead of Sunday's game. Jaren Jackson, Jr. (quadriceps) is probable, Mike Conley (knee) is questionable, Garrett Temple (shoulder) is doubtful and both Omri Casspi (knee) and Kyle Anderson (shoulder) are out.
The Knicks (10-41) check into Sunday's contest in as desperate a need of a win as their record implies. New York has dropped 12 straight games, with their most recent stumble coming against the Boston Celtics by a 113-99 score on Friday night. Damyean Dotson paced the Knicks with 22 points, adding six rebounds. Kevin Knox collected 21 points, five rebounds and two assists. Noah Vonleh mustered a modest seven points but also hauled in 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Mario Hezonja led the bench with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Knicks will be without Emmanuel Mudiay (shoulder) and Frank Ntilikina (groin) on Sunday. Recent trade acquisitions Dennis Smith, Jr., Wesley Matthews and Deandre Jordan are all likely game-time decisions.
Sunday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Knicks hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 103-98 victory back on Nov. 3.
Celtics Looking To Build On Three-Game Win Streak
By Dan Bruno
The Boston Celtics play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder, at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.
The Celtics (33-19) have won eight of their last 10 games, including their last three in a row, as they are closing in on the top tier of the Eastern standings. They sit fifth place, 5.5 games out of first place. The Celtics have won four of their last five home games, and are 21-6 at home this season. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics in their most recent win, with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and is averaging 23.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Marcus Morris has been playing well, averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, while Al Horford is solid, averaging 12.5 points on 53 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. The Celtics bench, including Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward have all come up large as well, helping push the Celtics over the hump on many occasions. The Celtics maintain one of the better defenses, as they hold opponents to an average of 105.5 points per game, which is third best in the league.
Meanwhile, this marks the third and final game of a three-game road trip for the Thunder (33-18), where they have gone 2-0 so far. The Thunder have won their last four road games, and are 16-11 on the road this season. They have won their last seven games overall, and sit 3.5 games out of first place in the West. Paul George has been playing on another level lately, averaging 27.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game, including 43 points on 14-of-23 shooting, in the Thunder's most recent win. Russell Westbrook is also putting up impressive numbers, with 21.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The Thunder are averaging 114.5 points per game, which is fifth best in the league.
The Celtics (33-19) have won eight of their last 10 games, including their last three in a row, as they are closing in on the top tier of the Eastern standings. They sit fifth place, 5.5 games out of first place. The Celtics have won four of their last five home games, and are 21-6 at home this season. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics in their most recent win, with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and is averaging 23.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Marcus Morris has been playing well, averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, while Al Horford is solid, averaging 12.5 points on 53 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. The Celtics bench, including Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward have all come up large as well, helping push the Celtics over the hump on many occasions. The Celtics maintain one of the better defenses, as they hold opponents to an average of 105.5 points per game, which is third best in the league.
Meanwhile, this marks the third and final game of a three-game road trip for the Thunder (33-18), where they have gone 2-0 so far. The Thunder have won their last four road games, and are 16-11 on the road this season. They have won their last seven games overall, and sit 3.5 games out of first place in the West. Paul George has been playing on another level lately, averaging 27.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game, including 43 points on 14-of-23 shooting, in the Thunder's most recent win. Russell Westbrook is also putting up impressive numbers, with 21.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The Thunder are averaging 114.5 points per game, which is fifth best in the league.
Raptors Play Host to Clippers on Sunday
The Los Angeles Clippers travel north of the border to play the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on Sunday.
The Clippers (29-24) came into Saturday's matchup losing two-straight against the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks and they looked well on their way to another loss when they trailed 40-22 after the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons. Lou Williams was having none of that though, as he scored 16 of the Clippers final 18 points in an epic 34-15 fourth quarter to complete their comeback win. Games like that can be a huge spark going forward and they'll need some momentum in this tough circumstance. Not only does Los Angeles have to play a back-to-back here, but they also have to travel through customs to play this day game after that grueling comeback on Saturday. Not many teams are successful under these circumstances but coming off a victory like that on Saturday should give them a little extra boost.
The Raptors (37-16) come into this matchup losing three of their last four games, as that's a rare blip on the radar. That's actually arguably their worst stretch of the season, as that alone shows just how good they've been. Those losses aren't really too concerning either, as they came against elite competition like the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers. That does make one wonder if they'll struggle against elite competition though, as they've been beating up on bad teams all season long. The statistics speak positively though, as this club is one of the only teams in the league who rank top-10 in both scoring and points allowed. That's a recipe for success and it looks even better considering they have their superstar, Kawhi Leonard, back and fully healthy.
Toronto blew out Los Angeles in their first meeting this season, 123-99, on December 11. That game was played in Los Angeles, as the Raptors have won six of their last nine games over the Clippers in total.
The Clippers (29-24) came into Saturday's matchup losing two-straight against the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks and they looked well on their way to another loss when they trailed 40-22 after the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons. Lou Williams was having none of that though, as he scored 16 of the Clippers final 18 points in an epic 34-15 fourth quarter to complete their comeback win. Games like that can be a huge spark going forward and they'll need some momentum in this tough circumstance. Not only does Los Angeles have to play a back-to-back here, but they also have to travel through customs to play this day game after that grueling comeback on Saturday. Not many teams are successful under these circumstances but coming off a victory like that on Saturday should give them a little extra boost.
The Raptors (37-16) come into this matchup losing three of their last four games, as that's a rare blip on the radar. That's actually arguably their worst stretch of the season, as that alone shows just how good they've been. Those losses aren't really too concerning either, as they came against elite competition like the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers. That does make one wonder if they'll struggle against elite competition though, as they've been beating up on bad teams all season long. The statistics speak positively though, as this club is one of the only teams in the league who rank top-10 in both scoring and points allowed. That's a recipe for success and it looks even better considering they have their superstar, Kawhi Leonard, back and fully healthy.
Toronto blew out Los Angeles in their first meeting this season, 123-99, on December 11. That game was played in Los Angeles, as the Raptors have won six of their last nine games over the Clippers in total.