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The New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks will go head-to-head for the second time in the span of three days, this time at Madison Square Garden. In the previous encounter between the two sides, the Knicks came out on top with a 106-116 win.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be eager to bounce back to winning ways after recording back-to-back defeats against the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards in their last game. They lost against the Wizards in OT by 117-115 as Russell Westbrook took complete control of the game from the fourth quarter.
Brandon Ingram scored a team-high 34 points on a night where the likes of Zion Williamson (21 points) and Lonzo Ball (4 points) had a fairly quiet outing. The loss saw the Pelicans' season record fall to 25-31, leaving them three games behind the last play-in tournament spot.
The New York Knicks, meanwhile, will be brimming with confidence after recording their longest winning streak of five games for the first time since 2014. They beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-109 in their last outing as Julius Randle dropped 44 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while playing against his hometown team.
The win improved the New York Knicks' record to 30-27 for the season, giving them a two-game advantage over the seventh-seeded Miami Heat concerning a top-six playoff qualification spot.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks- Injury Report
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans have ruled out Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) and Josh Hart (thumb) for the game against the New York Knicks. The two players have been out for a while and will be examined within two to three weeks.
Meanwhile, Jaxson Hayes is listed as probable for this matchup because of a back problem.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have ruled out Alec Burks for the game against the New Orleans Pelicans because of Covid protocols.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks - Predicted Lineups
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans will likely field the same starting lineup from their last game.
Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe should likely start as the guards, while Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Steven Adams will most likely be deployed on the frontcourt.
The likes of Naji Marshall, James Johnson and Willy Hernangomez are likely to receive the most amount of playing time from the reserves.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks will likely start the same players from their last game. Elfrid Payton and RJ Barrett will mostly pair up on the backcourt, while Reggie Bullock and Julius Randle will likely occupy the two forward positions. Nerlens Noel will most likely retain his position as the starting center.
Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Obi Toppin are likely to play the most rotation minutes coming off the bench for the New York Knicks.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks - Predicted Starting 5s
New Orleans Pelicans
Point Guard - Lonzo Ball l Shooting Guard - Eric Bledsoe l Small Forward - Brandon Ingram l Power Forward - Zion Williamson l Center - Steven Adams.
New York Knicks
Point Guard - Elfrid Payton l Shooting Guard - RJ Barrett l Small Forward - Reggie Bullock l Power Forward - Julius Randle l Center - Nerlens Noel.
