New York @ Houston preview
Toyota Center
Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2024 ) New York 103, Houston 105
The acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns during training camp allowed the New York Knicks to pair a second exceptional scorer with Jalen Brunson, whose emergence as a standout offensive performer last season thrust the Knicks into the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference.
And while the merger of their respective talents will take time to coalesce, the Knicks -- who will continue their four-game road trip on Monday against the Houston Rockets -- have already witnessed glimpses of what might manifest when Towns or Brunson are clicking.
Two days after Towns paired 44 points with 13 rebounds in a nine-point road victory over the Miami Heat, Brunson tallied 36 points and five assists in a 128-98 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Offensively, the Knicks appear to be just scratching the surface. Defensively, their reputation under coach Tom Thibodeau remains ironclad. And central to that defensive might is versatile forward OG Anunoby, whose all-around excellence against the Pistons complimented Brunson.
Anunoby posted 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the victory. When Anunoby joined the Knicks via trade last season, his impact was immediate. Injuries undermined the influence Anunoby had on the Knicks last postseason. Still, now that he is fully settled in, it has become clear to everyone involved how critical a role Anunoby will play moving forward.
"I love the way OG played," Thibodeau said. "I thought his activity was phenomenal for us.
"I think his teammates, his coaches, the organization -- we know how valuable he is to us. He's really invaluable."
Inconsistency remains the buzzword for the Rockets, who followed a road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday during which they coughed up most of a 23-point lead with a 127-121 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Host Houston rallied from a 31-point deficit against the Warriors to force the extra period, even taking a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The rollercoaster started in the series opener. The Rockets blew an 18-point lead in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets before registering a 20-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets never trailed during their 106-101 road win over the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 28 but had to hold on late after leading by 21 points late in the third quarter.
The erratic play has made the Rockets a difficult team to peg. Their in-game variance has yielded a philosophical conundrum of viewing the glass half full or half empty in terms of praising the Rockets for their resilience or dismissing them for their penchant to fall into massive holes or blow significant leads.
"Inconsistency is obviously not a good thing," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "The fact that you either build a lead or fight back from a deficit, there are some positives to it. On the flip side is letting leads slip away or getting yourself in a big hole.
"The thing we talk about is being more consistent coming in and we've been anything but that. We've pretty much played halves all year other than the Dallas game where we played three good quarters."
Houston knocked off the Knicks 105-103 on Feb. 12 to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series.
--Field Level Media