The New York Knicks open their preseason Thursday as they travel to the nations' capital to face off with the Washington Wizards at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Though it's a meaningless exhibition game, head coach Mike Woodson says he's looking to see who has the competitive spirit to engage in a game that means nothing in the standings, according to Tony Williams of NJ.com.

"I just want to see guys compete and take a lot of the things we taught in camp and see if it translates into a real game [because] that's going to be the key to our success for the season as well," Woodson said. "What I'm looking for also is energy and seeing guys play hard. But playing hard and doing what's asked of you are two different things. ... We put a lot of things in at the top of camp and throughout camp and I'm anxious at seeing if we picked that stuff up and carry it over into the ball game."

The Knicks will begin their preseason without power forward Amar'e  Stoudemire.

The team announced Thursday during their morning shoot around that the All-Star forward will be out due to a bruised knee. Veteran power forward Kurt Thomas will start in place of Stoudemire.

The Knicks have six preseason games - all on the road - as the Garden puts final touches on the second stage of its transformation. They face Boston Saturday in Hartford.

Watch New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards live stream, click here.

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