KEY
POS. NO. PLAYER
HEIGHT WEIGHT
PPG RPG APG (Points, Rebounds, & Assists Per Game)
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
NUGGETS PROBABLE STARTERS
Small Forward 15 Carmelo Anthony
6-8, 230
2006-07: 28.9 6.0 3.8
With his 20 points vs. New Orleans on 11/4, he has now scored 20+ points in 15-straight regular season games.
Power Forward #31 Nene
6-11, 260
2006-07: 12.2 7.0 1.2
Had 12 points on 4-6 (.667) shooting vs. New Orleans on 11/4, marking the first time he’s scored 10+ this season.
Center #23 Marcus Camby
6-11, 235
2006-07: 11.2 11.7 3.2
Posted his second-straight 20+ rebounding game with 21 boards vs. New Orleans on 11/4.
Shooting Guard #5 Yakhouba Diawara
6-7, 225
2006-07: 2.1 1.7 0.9
His .538 (7-13) field goal percentage thru the first three games this season currently leads the team.
Point Guard 3 Allen Iverson
6-0, 165
2006-07: 24.8 3.0 7.2
Moved into 25th on the NBA all-time scoring list past Bob Pettit with his eighth point vs. the Hornets on 11/4.
KNICKS PROBABLE STARTERS
Small Forward #23 Quentin Richardson
6’6” 235
2007-08: Averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game…Scored six points (2-5 3-PT FG) and had two rebounds in 35:51 at Cleveland, Nov. 2.
Power Forward #50 Zach Randolph
6’9” 260
2007-08: Averaging 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 37.0 minutes per game…Scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds in 33:35 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 4…Scored 21
points (10-23 FG) and had 14 rebounds in 40:42 at Cleveland, Nov. 2.
Center #34 Eddy Curry
6’11” 285
2007-08: Averaging 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 34.0 minutes per game…Scored 14 points (6-8 FG) and had seven rebounds in 34:46 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 4…Scored 18
points and had seven rebounds in 32:55 at Cleveland, Nov.2.
Shooting Guard #11 Jamal Crawford
6’5” 200
2007-08: Averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 40.0 minutes per game…Scored a team-high 24 points and had seven assists and two steals in 42:00 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 4…Scored a team-high 25 points and dished out a team-high six assists in 38:02 at Cleveland, Nov. 2.
Point Guard, #3 Stephon Marbury
6’2” 205
2007-08: Averaging 13.5 points and 6.0 assists in 35.0 minutes per game…Scored 17 points and had seven assists in 39:13 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 4…Scored 10 points and had
five assists in 31:13 at Cleveland, Nov. 2.
NUGGETS INJURY REPORT
OUT: Anthony Carter suffered a 3rd metacarpal fracture on his right hand and underwent successful surgery on 10/10. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks
OUT: Chucky Atkins suffered a severe right groin strain at Phoenix on 10/25 and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
QUESTIONABLE: Mike Wilks suffered a right hamstring strain vs. New Orleans on 11/4 and is considered questionable for tonight’s game.
KNICKS INJURY REPORT:
QUESTIONABLE: Nate Robinson: Mild Strained Right Hamstring
DOUBTFUL: Jerome James: Left Knee Tendinitis
OUT: Jared Jeffries: Sprained Right ACL and Bone Bruise
ON THE AIR:
Tonight’s game will be televised on Altitude with Chris Marlowe and Scott Hastings handling the telecast. The game will be broadcast on KKFN AM 950, with Jerry Schemmel doing the play-by-play and Jason Kosmicki hosting the studio courtside.
KEY MATCHUP:
PF Zach Randolph vs Nene & Kenyon Martin
Zach Randolph came to the Knicks from the Trailblazers in the off-season, and is one of the better power forwards in the league. Nene is still not up to full speed yet and Martin is limited to no more than 22 minutes and is still a little rusty. Randolph, who is a jump shooter as well as a penetrator, has a good shot at a good or great game against these Nuggets defenders. The Nuggets are looking for even more from Nene in this game than he showed against the Hornets, 12 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes, which was the first game he showed much of anything this season.
PG Stephon Marbury vs Allen Iverson
Marbury and Iverson both started in the NBA in 1996. Most would agree that Marbury’s last really good year was 2004-05; the last two years he has been slower and less productive than before. And Marbury is off to a slow start in the Knicks first two games this year. Overall, Marbury has had a good career, but Iverson has had a hall of fame great one. But Marbury will bring a lot more experience playing point guard to this game than Iverson has.
NUGGET'S KEYS TO VICTORY
Remain Cool and Confident The Nuggets have to remain cool and confident as they start what will most likely be a long and slow process of building their offensive strategy for the playoffs. There are going to be a lot more offensive breakdowns similar to the one in the Hornets game. The objective is to all but eliminate offensive breakdowns by the start of the playoffs. The NBA season has more than 5 months still to run, and that is more than enough time to get everyone on the same page.
Contain Zach Randolph As mentioned above, this will be critical. If you get lazy dealing with this guy, he can burn you from many spots on the floor. You can go for steals against Randolph. You can also try to get him in foul trouble if the refs are calling a close game.
This game especially, make sure Melo gets a lot of possessions Players such as Quentin Richardson and Reynaldo Balkman are no match for Carmelo Anthony. This can be a great night for Anthony as he and the Nuggets return to the scene of the crimes that caused the long suspensions.
KNICK'S KEYS TO VICTORY
Double Team Melo or Iverson Pick one and double him from time to time or, in the case of Iverson, you might simply try to force steals and bad passes as well. Iverson is getting little or no rest time these days, and you can wear any player out who plays 45 or more minutes faster by playing a harassing, intense style of defense. I’d double team Melo because Quentin Richardson is going to need help guarding Melo.
Total Green Light for Jamal Crawford The Nuggets are reeling from three point guard injuries and Crawford should try to take full advantage of the situation. Since the Nuggets are a poor 3-point shot defending team, Crawford should try to take advantage of that as well. Quentin Richardson and Stephon Marbury should also be on the lookout for open looks from behind the 3-point line.
Defensively, worry about Nene more than Kenyon Martin at this point Nene is now starting over Kenyon Martin. Make sure someone quickly picks up Nene on any pick and rolls, and make sure you box him out for rebounds whenever possible. Nene is not as good a rebounder as Camby is, and Camby can’t play 48 minutes, so you can try to dominate the boards when Camby is out and try to use that to go on a run. As everyone knows, it is relatively easy to go on 6-12 point runs on the Nuggets.
OVERALL PREDICTIONS
The Nuggets are one of the most unpredictable regular season teams in the League for the second year in a row, and plus it’s very early in the season, so any prediction on how well they are going to play is only an educated guess. PG Mike Wilks is questionable. If he does not play, the Knicks in Madison Square Garden could take this game. In order to avoid having a player on the court who is a lot less rested than the one he is guarding, no player should be playing 47 minutes, including Allen Iverson, but that is exactly what A.I. will be doing again if Wilks is out. If Wilks plays, I like the Nuggets in this game because Carmelo Anthony should have a big scoring and rebounding night here and Isaiah Thomas apparently does not have much firepower on his bench available. To win, though, even with Wilks in, the Nuggets need at least two solid games from any of two of their players other than Camby, A.I., and Melo, unless one of those three blows up, in which case they still need at least one other solid game from somebody. Don't tick me off GK: if Wilks is not playing get Von Wafer out there for 12-15 minutes or more if he's good.
