Injury Report
| Player |
Team |
Date |
Status |
Info |
| Derrick Rose |
New York Knicks |
22 Dec 2021 |
Out (Ankle) |
Rose underwent ankle surgery and there is no timetable for his return. |
| Jamal Murray |
Denver Nuggets |
22 Jul 2021 |
Out (Knee) |
Murray is recovering from a torn ACL, there is no timetable for his return. |
| Michael Porter Jr. |
Denver Nuggets |
29 Nov 2021 |
Out (Back) |
Porter Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing back surgery. |
| Vlatko Cancar |
Denver Nuggets |
7 Jan 2022 |
Out (Foot) |
Cancar underwent surgery on his foot and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks. |
| Austin Rivers |
Denver Nuggets |
6 Feb 2022 |
Day to Day (Hip) |
Rivers left Denver’s Sunday (Feb 6) and is questionable for their next match. |
How Can the Knicks Beat the Nuggets?
The Knicks are coming off of a loss in their last match, failing to deliver when the game was on the line. If they want to take down the Nuggets, New York must find a way to execute their offence more efficiently.
The Jazz have a solid defensive core, but they were missing many of their key pieces. Still, the New York Knicks were held to 37.9% shooting from the field and 24.2% from the free throw line.
New York’s lack of ball movement is what failed them against the Jazz, despite having their full complement available. Against a team that excel at running their opponents off the three-point line, the Knicks must capitalize on their ball movement.
Knicks Key Player: (F) Julius Randle
All eyes are on the New York Knicks as their fall from grace continues. Julius Randle is under the microscope, New York’s 2021 All-Star whose production has dipped in nearly every category since.
Through their last six games, where the Knicks have lost all but one match, Randle has struggled from the field. He’s averaged 17.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, but on 43.5% shooting from the field and 25.0% shooting from three-point range.
Randle must work to create better opportunities for himself from three-point range. If he can’t spread the court with his shooting, the Knicks’ offence becomes all too predictable for the opponent.
How Can the Nuggets Beat the Knicks?
It sounds simple to say that the Denver Nuggets must “do as they always do” to beat the Knicks, but it does boil down to what they excel at. The Knicks are a struggling team, but they have the athleticism that can give Denver trouble.
In victories, the Nuggets convert at a 49.5% clip while assisting on 29.0 of their field goals. A sign of consistency, the Nuggets’ turnover rate only slightly varies in wins or losses.
If the Denver Nuggets can find efficiency in their offence early, they can put the Knicks to bed. Denver are not the paciest teams in the NBA, so they can’t get into a running game with New York.
Nuggets Key Player: (C) Nikola Jokic
No need to look beyond the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player. The Nuggets may not be near the top of the Western Conference, but Jokic’s play is amongst the best in the league.
In Denver’s last game, a win over the Brooklyn Nets, Jokic was unstoppable. He posted 27 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals in 29 minutes of play. He shot 12 of 15 from the field, but failed to convert on his 2 three-point field goal attempts.
The Knicks big men are excellent rim-protectors, but being dragged out by Jokic may be an issue for them. If Jokic can create opportunities for his teammates at the rim, the Knicks won’t be able to catch up.
Take a deeper look at who might pull off the ultimate goal of winning the NBA Championship!
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