The New York Knicks have gone from the laughing stock of the NBA, to appearing like serious contenders. The team has won four-straight games at Madison Square Garden while in the midst of an eight-game homestand. The team is now seeking their second-straight win over the Miami Heat as the defending champs hit a rough patch in their season.
The Knicks are averaging 116.5 points during their win-streak.They are shooting 47.5 percent from beyond the arc while much of that can be credited to Carmelo Anthony who is shooting 49.4 percent from the 3-point line in that last 16 games. The Knicks are coming off a 117-86 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers as JR Smith put on a show with 19 points while Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr. both equaled 29 points. During the win streak, Smith is averaging 17.0 points per game while going 10 of 18 from beyond the arc.
There is one small wrinkle in the Knicks win streak lately, they are 7-16 against teams with a record better than .500. While that might not fair well against most teams, the Miami Heat have been struggling lately and the Knicks previously defeated them back on Jan. 9.
January has not been great for the Heat. The team is 8-6 following a 112-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was the most lopsided loss since the big 3 arrived. Dwyane Wade had 15 points after being in and out of the lineup over the past three weeks. During January, the Heat have allowed opponents to shoot 50.0 percent against them while the Thunder shot 51.3 percent overall.
LeBron James was productive in his last game against the Knicks. He put up 32 points while going 12 of 17 overall. Each team combined to shoot 54.0 percent. Wade is expected to play against the Knicks, but Kenyon Martin could miss the as will Amare Stoudemire.
