Following a strong 4-1 start to the NBA season, Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets find themselves in a bit of a funk heading into their Thursday night showdown with the New York Knicks. Set to face a New York team coming off a 95-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets hope a trip to Madison Square Garden rejuvenates them after dropping three of the last four contests. Returning to New York for just the second time since leaving for Houston following the 2011-2012 season, Rockets guard Jeremy Lin hopes to recapture some of the MSG magic that made him a popular player across the league and around the sports world.
Lin scored 34 points and dished out 12 assists in Houston's recent overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and even though the team was competitive in the game, Lin was unhappy with his performance on the defensive side of the ball, as he struggled to contain Philly guards Tony Wroten and James Anderson at times. "It was my worst defensive game of the season," Lin said after the 123-117 defeat, Houston's second-straight overtime loss. "Tomorrow [against New York] has to be my best defensive game of the season."
Dwight Howard finished that game with 23 points and 15 rebounds and even though his team is in the midst of a downward turn, Howard continues to dominate down low. Set to appear in his first game at Madison Square Garden as a member of the Houston Rockets, Howard hopes his squad will be able to take advantage of a Knicks team who will once again be without starting center Tyson Chandler. Chandler will be out for at least the next month as he recovers from a small fracture in his right fibula.
The Knicks dropped four of their first six to open the season but as they come off a much needed win in Atlanta, Carmelo Anthony noted that it was great to get back on track while indicating that the Knicks are good enough to win each game when they put forth a collective effort on both ends of the floor.
"It was a great way to kind of get back on track," Anthony, who scored a team-high 25 points in the win, said. "Anytime you can win on the road it's always a good win. We came through as a team, pulled it out, much better effort than we put forth in that San Antonio game. I'm glad to see we responded in a good fashion and put that game behind us."
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Thursday, November 14
TIME: 8:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: TNT
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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