New York @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2019 ) Denver 129, New York 92

The New York Knicks are enjoying their first winning streak of the season and can push the run to three in a row when they finish their road trip against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. After opening the four-game trip with a loss at Portland, the Knicks knocked off Golden State and Sacramento - each by two points - to improve to 2-2 since firing coach David Fizdale.

"We were in positions where we bent a few times but we didn't break," interim coach Mike Miller told reporters after Friday's 103-101 victory at Sacramento in which his team rallied from 16 points down in the third quarter. "Terrific effort, so many good performances, and showing character to keep coming back when you get down." Fizdale's last game at the helm in New York came Dec. 5 at home and the result was a 37-point loss to Denver. Center Nikola Jokic was a relative non-factor in that win for the Nuggets but put forth a dominant effort in a 110-102 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Jokic had 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting while posting 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double this season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, MSG (New York), Altitude (Denver)

ABOUT THE KNICKS (6-20): Julius Randle scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the win over the Kings and he senses a focus that hasn't always been there for a team languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. "It's a good feeling," Randle told reporters. "We just turned up our intensity and our aggressiveness. The bench did a great job coming in and playing well. We just kept fighting, locked into the details, and came out with a win." The bench Randle credited was led by Elfrid Payton (16 points) and Mitchell Robinson (14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds).

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (16-8): Denver lost three straight on the road following its rout of the Knicks, but it is 2-0 on a five-game homestand after shooting 50.6 percent from the floor against the Thunder. Forward Paul Millsap (quad) missed the contest but Jerami Grant (13 points) took his place in the starting lineup and is averaging 16.5 points on 55 percent shooting during the homestand. Jokic was 8-for-8 inside the arc while posting his 32nd career triple-double, tied with Rajon Rondo of the Los Angeles Lakers for 11th on the NBA's all-time list.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jokic's next triple-double will tie him with Bob Cousy for 10th place.

2. Knicks PG Dennis Smith Jr. (illness) missed Friday's game and is day-to-day.

3. Denver has won 11 straight meetings at home.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 112, Knicks 99