The Los Angeles Clippers head to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday evening.
The Clippers (31-21) have had a difficult time finding their footing lately, dropping seven of their last nine games. The schedule has been partly to blame, with Los Angeles’ last three opponents having been the Warriors, Celtics and Raptors. Toronto toppled the Clippers by a 118-109 margin in their latest loss, with the returning DeMar DeRozan leading all scorers with 31 points. The Clippers were led once again by Blake Griffin, who produced a 26-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double that also included one steal. The star forward was effective from all over the court, shooting 11-for-19 from the floor and 2-for-3 from long distance. Austin Rivers followed with 22 points, two rebounds and one block. Marreese Speights led the bench with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jamal Crawford supplied 14 points, three assists, one rebound, two steals and two blocks. J.J. Redick pitched in with 12 points, four boards, an assist and a steal.
On the injury front, Chris Paul (thumb) will remain out for Wednesday’s contest.
The Knicks (22-31) are far from being on firm ground themselves, as they’ve dropped seven of the last 10 contests. Their latest defeat was an embarassing double-digit home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night by a 121-107 margin. New York was paced by Carmelo Anthony’s 26 points, which he supplemented with five assists, three rebounds and one steal. Kristaps Porzingis registered a near double-double of 16 points, nine boards and a pair of blocks. Brandon Jennings matched his total off the bench and added five assists, three rebounds and one steal. Justin Holiday was productive on the second unit as well with 14 points, one rebound and one block. Kyle O’Quinn drew the start at center and produced 10 points, two rebounds and one assist, while Derrick Rose, back in the starting lineup after a four-game absence due to an ankle injury, generated just five points, four rebounds and three assists over 32 minutes. Willy Hernangomez continued his strong play by tallying eight points, 13 rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block over 24 minutes off the bench.
Joakim Noah (hamstring) and Lance Thomas (orbital) will remain out for Wednesday’s game.
Wednesday’s game will mark the first of two meetings between the teams this season. They’ll reconvene in Los Angeles on Mar. 20.
