Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks: Match Preview and Predictions

Match details

Fixture: Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks

Date & Time: Thursday, 5 December 2019, 7:30 pm ET.

Venue: Madison Square Gardens, New York City, New York.

Last game results

Denver Nuggets (13-5): 96-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers (Tuesday, 3 December 2019)

New York Knicks (4-17): 88-132 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks (Monday, 2 December 2019)

Denver Nuggets Preview

The Denver Nuggets have had a good start this season. At 13-5, they are third in the NBA’s Western Conference despite a two-game losing streak.

In their last loss, a 105-96 reverse to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets allowed Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to combine for 50 points. Their own Paul Millsap and Jamal Murray combined for 45 points in that same game, but the Nuggets bench contributed just 26 points and were outscored by the Lakers’ bench 42-26.

Key Player – Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center can do it all. Jokic’s stat line is a double-double at 15.4 points, 6.1 assists and 10.1 rebounds a game this season; he is the second-leading scorer on the Nuggets and their best passer and rebounder.

One major hitch in his game right now is that he is struggling with his three-point shooting, at just 22.5 percent this year. He will look to improve on that against the Knicks.

Nuggets predicted lineup

Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic

New York Knicks Preview

The New York Knicks are having another horrible season. They have been blown out in two of their last four games, are on a seven-game losing streak.

Last season’s lottery pick Kevin Knox has mostly been relegated to the bench. Monday night, the Knicks lost by 44 points to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Top free-agent signing this summer Julius Randle scored 19 points but the Knicks 2019 lottery pick RJ Barrett had just two points. Knox meanwhile had five points in 23 minutes and Dennis Smith Jr. had just four.

Key Player – Julius Randle

This past summer the New York Knicks had over 70 million dollars of cap space to spend, and Randle got some of those riches as he signed a three-year, $63m deal. So far this season, Randle has played all 21 Knicks games and is averaging 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.

The Knicks have a lot of developing players who are not consistent, and Randle’s production offensively helps to offset those wildcards. Randle had 19 points against Milwaukee Monday; if not for him, that loss could have been even more catastrophic.

Lakers predicted lineup

RJ Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr., Taj Gibson, Kevin Knox, Julius Randle

Nuggets vs Knicks Match Prediction

The Nuggets are the third top team the Knicks will play in their last five games. They lost by 44 to the Bucks on Monday night and by 28 points last Wednesday to the Toronto Raptors.

There is one obvious mismatch the Denver Nuggets would wish to exploit and it's at the center position. Jokic is a seven-footer while Taj Gibson is a little undersized at 6’10. With Jokic struggling from the three-point range, he may want to work in the post against a smaller Gibson.

The Nuggets are rated 11th in the NBA averaging 48.4 points in the paint per game, while the Knicks average just 39.4 and are last in the NBA.

The Nuggets and Knicks are two of the NBA’s lowest-scoring teams. The Nuggets average just 106.1 per game and the Knicks 100.9.

Both teams enter this contest on losing streaks, but the Denver Nuggets are easily the more likely winners.

Where to watch Nuggets vs Knicks?

You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on Altitude 2 and MSG Network.

Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks: Match Preview and Predictions - 5th December 2019