Knicks Pregame Preview vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Knicks Pregame Preview vs. Minnesota Timberwolves; November 19th, 2014

The New York Knicks will be getting back at it Wednesday night, as they will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be the first time they see another player from the 2014 draft class, this time the first overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Here are some things to watch for tonight when the Knicks battle with the Timberwolves and try to get back into the win column.

Matchup of the Game: Iman Shumpert vs. Kevin Martin

Shumpert and Martin are both arguably the best performers for their respective teams in the early going of the season, and will more than likely be matched up together a lot on Wednesday night. Martin is leading the Timberwolves with 18.4 points per game, and is coming off a great offensive game over the weekend when he poured in 34 against the Dallas Mavericks. Shumpert hasn’t been a slouch offensively this season either, averaging a career-high 13.2 points per game because of the most efficient season of his career. These two will be a matchup worth watching, especially because of injuries at other positions.

-Melo’s Knee

Carmelo Anthony aggravated his sore knee Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks when he banged it battling with Giannis Antetokounmpo. He grimaced throughout the night, but was able to finish it out with another efficient scoring night. It will be something worth keeping an eye on as knee injuries aren’t anything to mess around with. He says he has gone for tests, and they have all come back clean, so expect to see Anthony out there unless told otherwise.

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-Bring Effort

J.R. Smith was quoted after Tuesday night’s loss that the effort the Knicks showed was embarrassing. There is no other way to put it, as it took the Knicks a 26-point deficit to get going, allowing a lackluster offensive team in the Bucks to look like the Showtime Lakers. Against the Timberwolves, the Knicks have to bring better effort, and the results should be better.

One area they need to bring better effort is on the defensive end. The Knicks have allowed teams to walk all over them, defending the three-point line worse than any other team in the NBA. The Timberwolves are a better three-point shooting team than the Bucks, ranking 13th, and slowing them down on the perimeter would be a nice victory for the Knicks tonight.

-Compete In the Middle

Last night the Knicks were dominated in the paint on both ends of the court. The Bucks outrebounded them by 15, and outscored them in the paint by 16. The most embarrassing number was the offensive rebounds by the Bucks, as they missed 35 shots in the game, and piled up 17 offensive rebounds. That is a lot of possessions the Bucks didn’t go empty handed in.

The Knicks are also catching a break in the middle tonight, as the Timberwolves will be without starting center Nikola Pekovic and Thaddeus Young; Pekovic is dealing with a wrist injury, and Young is away from the team dealing with personal matters as his mother passed away. They need to take advantage of the Timberwolves using so many backups for extended minutes, as they are also without starting point guard Ricky Rubio.

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