MIAMI vs NEW YORK
When: 3/29/2021 9:30 PM
Where: Madison Square Garden

TV: 9:30 PM
LINE: -200
PREDICTION: Miami Heat, New York Knicks

Oddsmakers currently have Miami listed as 4.5 point favorites versus the New York while the game’s total is sitting at 204.5.

The task of trying to replace Mitchell Robinson begins in earnest Monday night for the New York Knicks — even if his eventual successor might not yet be on the roster by the opening tip.

The Miami Heat, on the other hand, is almost certain to have a high-profile reinforcement in uniform.

A pair of teams beginning playoff pushes in different fashions are scheduled to meet Monday night, when the Knicks will attempt to overcome their latest key injury and extend their winning streak when they host the Heat in a battle of longtime rivals.

Mitchell Robinson’s injury overshadowed the Knicks’ third straight win Saturday when the third-year center suffered a broken right foot in the first quarter of a 102-96 victory over the host Milwaukee Bucks. The visiting Heat suffered a sixth straight loss Friday when Miami fell to the Charlotte Hornets, 110-105.

Robinson was playing in just his fourth game since returning from a 15-game absence due to a broken right hand. The 7-footer was injured after he crashed to the floor while battling for a rebound with the Bucks’ Brook Lopez. Robinson immediately grabbed his foot in pain and needed help getting off the floor.

“It sucks, man,” said Knicks guard Derrick Rose, who returned Saturday after missing the previous 10 games while battling the coronavirus. “But for someone like him, seeing how hard he worked to get back, for this to happen, it just sucks.”

The injury to Robinson will likely have short- and long-term impacts upon the Knicks’ already short-handed rotation. With All-Star power forward Julius Randle (thigh) out Saturday, Robinson was slated for a bigger role before he went down. Nerlens Noel replaced Robinson and pulled down 11 rebounds while playing 31:28, the most he’s played off the bench this season.

Even before Robinson got hurt, the Knicks were linked to four-time NBA rebounding champion Andre Drummond, who was bought out Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But Drummond is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Other potential veteran options for New York include the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Al Horford.

Whoever replaces Robinson will be tasked with trying to help the Knicks complete a surprising surge into the playoffs. New York (24-22), which hasn’t made the postseason since the spring of 2013, has already won three more games than it did last season and will enter Monday as one of the Eastern Conference’s top six seeds.

The Heat will likely have some help Monday as Miami — which won 11 of 12 before beginning its current skid — tries to snap the losing streak that has left it on the outside looking in on a guaranteed playoff spot.

Guard Victor Oladipo, who was acquired from the Houston Rockets Thursday, is expected to step into the lineup for the Heat, who will enter Monday in eighth place in the East. The seventh- through 10th-place teams in each conference will participate in a play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff berths.

But with Oladipo joining a core that includes All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat feel well-positioned to make another playoff run. Miami reached the NBA Finals as the fifth seed in the East last summer.

“I’d watch out for us,” Heat president Pat Riley said Thursday night.

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Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Thursday, January 19, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Knicks 108, Wizards 105

Oddsmakers currently have the Wizards listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the Knicks, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.5.

NEW YORK — Now that the distraction surrounding Carmelo Anthony is over, at least for the near future, the New York Knicks can focus on making a run in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Fresh off their 117-106 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the Knicks (19-24) are right back at it on Thursday when they host the Washington Wizards.

Derrick Rose matched his season high with 30 points against the Celtics, leading a New York team that was without Kristaps Porzingis, Joakim Noah and Lance Thomas.

Porzingis missed his fourth consecutive game due to a sore left Achilles tendon. Noah didn’t suit up because of a sore ankle, and he will undergo an MRI exam Thursday. Thomas needs to be fitted for a facemask following an orbital fracture injury. All three players will be out against the Wizards.

“These guys are a determined bunch,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said of his roster. “We’ve had some bad breaks. We’ve had some bad games, but they stayed in there together.”

Washington (22-19) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 104-101 on Wednesday for its 13th consecutive home victory. The Wizards defeated New York in a previous meeting, but Washington is 1-7 this season in the second game of back-to-back sets.

Anthony had a sit-down meeting with Knicks president Phil Jackson before Wednesday’s game to discuss the nine-time All-Star’s future in New York.

“The conversation wasn’t that long,” Anthony said at the Knicks’ morning shootaround in Boston. “We didn’t break bread. We didn’t have an hour’s conversation. It was a short conversation.”

Anthony, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, reiterated that he plans to remain in New York.

“I think, as players, you always want to protect yourself,” Anthony said of the no-trade clause. “I didn’t think it would get to this point. I think, as a player, if you can get (a no-trade clause), you have a right to protect yourself and take care of yourself when it comes to that. It’s very hard to get, very difficult to get. I have it, and that’s that.

“I’m committed (to staying). I don’t have to prove that to anybody. My focus is playing ball at this point.”

Anthony, 32, is averaging 22.2 points and 6.0 rebounds through 43 games this season. Both figures are below his career averages of 24.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

The Wizards are buoyed by a healthy John Wall, who needed surgery to his knees after last season. Wall is averaging career highs in points (22.9 per game), shooting percentage (46.4 percent), foul-shooting percentage (82.1 percent), steals (2.2 per game) and assists (10.1 per game) — with the latter figure ranking third in the NBA.

“I wanted to get back to being healthy,” Wall told USA Today Sports. “In my first six years, I was never healthy. I battled through so much just to prove I could play. For me to have a decent six years was great. But now I’m back to where I can be myself and be the player I always wanted to be.”

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Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Bulls 103, Knicks 98

NEW YORK — Derrick Rose and Joaquin Noah will get another shot at their former team when the New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

With the Bulls (19-20), Rose was the MVP in 2011 and Noah was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season. The duo was part of an offseason makeover by the Knicks, who haven’t made the playoffs in three seasons.

The Knicks (17-22) won the first meeting, 117-104, in Chicago on Nov. 4. Rose scored 15 points and dished out 11 assists, while Noah recorded 16 points and nine rebounds.

But that is ancient history. New York has dropped nine of its last 10 games and the news surrounding Rose hasn’t been positive. He never showed up for the game against New Orleans on Monday at the Garden, a 110-96 loss, leaving his teammates and coach Jeff Hornacek holding the bag on his unexcused absence.

Rose returned to practice on Tuesday and offered an explanation.

“It was a family issue,” Rose said. “It had nothing to do with the team or basketball. That’s the first time I ever felt like that emotionally and I had to be with my family.”

He returned on Wednesday, scoring 25 points in the Knicks’ 98-97 buzzer-beater loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the second quarter, New York led by as much as 17 points. Philadelphia stormed back on a 15-3 run to close the half and started the third quarter on a 13-4 run. It erased a 13-point deficit in the final 8:49 of the game.

“We have to go out and win the next one and keep our heads up,” Rose said.

The 76ers had lost 78 straight games when trailing by 15 or more points.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” said Hornacek. “We let them (Philadelphia) come right back. We weren’t able to finish it.”

Carmelo Anthony poured in 28 points, passing Robert Parrish for the 26th on the all-time scoring list with 23,337 points. Charles Barkley is 25th at 23,757.

The Bulls are dealing with their own issues at guard. Chicago will have a rejuvenated Rajon Rondo on Thursday. Rondo, who played 27 minutes in Tuesday’s 101-99 loss to the Washington Wizards, was coming off a five-game benching by Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.

“I got a slight explanation from another guy on the (coaching) staff,” Rondo said. “The guy told me that he was saving me from myself.

“Save me from myself?” he said. “I’ve never heard that before in my life. I guess he was trying to do the best thing for me.”

Rondo finished with 12 points on 6-for-13 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two turnovers in 27-plus minutes.

The Bulls will need that kind of production from their mercurial guard as they may be without Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic, who both missed the Washington game with illnesses.

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New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), CSN Philadelphia
PREDICTION: 76ers 103, Knicks 101

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose, inexplicably absent from his team’s home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, returned to the Knicks’ practice facility on Tuesday.

Still to be determined is whether he will play Wednesday when the Knicks (17-21) face the Philadelphia 76ers (10-25) on the road.

Rose did not show up for the 110-96 loss to the Pelicans, and did not inform his teammates or Knicks officials that he would be absent. Multiple media outlets reported that team officials were unable to reach him by phone, and ESPN.com, citing unnamed sources, reported that Knicks representatives grew so concerned they went looking for him at his apartment.

The same outlet later reported that he went to Chicago to deal with a family situation, and that he returned for Tuesday’s practice and met with general manager Steve Mills. The team announced he was fined and Rose met with reporters, saying “it was a family issue when quizzed about his absence.

Rose, a three-time All-Star and the 2011 NBA MVP while playing for the Chicago Bulls, was acquired in an offseason trade. He is averaging 17.3 points and 4.5 assists per game, but Yahoo Sports reported that Rose has grown increasingly frustrated with his role. First-year coach Jeff Hornacek has benched him in the fourth quarter of the last two games in favor of undrafted rookie Ron Baker.

Overall, the Knicks have lost eight of nine. Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony is once again the team’s leading scorer (21.9), but he was ejected in the third quarter of Monday’s game for arguing with referee Danny Crawford.

Reserve forward Kyle O’Quinn was ejected soon after that for a flagrant 2 foul on New Orleans star Anthony Davis, who collected 40 points and 18 rebounds in the game.

The Sixers have won three of four, most recently beating the Brooklyn Nets 106-95 on Sunday to match their victory total for all of last season. Rookie center Joel Embiid led the way with 20 points, and afterward said he has high hopes for the season.

“We are seven or eight games out of the playoffs, so we have a chance,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We are learning. We are coming together. We are learning how to play with each other. We are just great now.”

Philadelphia is 13th in the East, and 7 1/2 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, but Embiid has established himself as the clear frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award. He leads all first-year players, as well as his team, in scoring (19.4), rebounding (7.3) and blocked shots (2.4), while averaging just 25 minutes a game.

The team is restricting him to 28 minutes a night after Embiid, the third pick in the 2014 draft, missed two seasons following a pair of foot surgeries.

Sixers coach Brett Brown has struggled to find minutes for Embiid and two other highly drafted centers, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, but the last two games Brown has elected not to use Okafor at all.

Philadelphia signed rookie guard Chasson Randle to a 10-day contract on Tuesday. Randle, a Stanford product, averaged 21 points a game in 19 appearances for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League. He began the season in the Czech Republic.

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New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 7, 2017
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7 p.m. MSG (New York), FSN Indiana
PREDICTION: Pacers 115, Knicks 108

Oddsmakers currently have the Pacers listed as 7-point favorites versus the Knicks, while the game’s total is sitting at 216.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers will host the New York Knicks in an Eastern Conference showdown on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Pacers (19-18) have won four straight games, which is their longest winning streak of the season.

The teams matched up in New York last month and the Knicks put together a come-from-behind win, 118-111 behind Carmelo Anthony’s 35 points.

Indiana led by as many as 15 points in that game, but New York put together a huge run in the fourth quarter. The Pacers, however, have been much better on their home floor this season (14-5), presenting the Knicks with a big challenge.

Paul George has been on fire lately, averaging 28.6 points in his last five games. The Pacers are 10-2 this season when George scores 25 or more points.

The Pacers have averaged 117.5 points per game during their four-game win streak, including 121 points in their previous win over the Nets.

George credits better ball movement for the recent hot stretch. “Before, it was guys doing everything on their own,” George told The Indianapolis Star. “Now, it’s more organized. We move the ball and we know who has a good look and there’s not selfishness in the shot selection.”

Point guard Jeff Teague has also been on fire of late, averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 assists per game in January. He averaged 16 points and 8.9 assists in December.

“Coach pulled me aside a couple weeks ago and told me he wants me to move the ball and he wants me to try to get in the lane and kick out,” Teague said. “I think it just became contagious. We’re all just trying to get it to the open man and get our teammates open shots.”

The Knicks (17-19) just snapped a six-game losing streak by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 116-111 on Friday night.

Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing the previous three games and scored 24 points. The Knicks trailed by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter and came back to win.

Playing on a back-to-back after a comeback win won’t be an easy task, but the Knicks are just glad to be back in the win column again.

“This club’s going through adversity right now,” Knicks center Joakim Noah said. “There’s no question about it. Losing sucks. We’ve just got to bounce back.”

“Making strides, that’s all you can ask,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “If we continue to do that, we’re going to win games.”

Both teams are averaging 105 points per game this season, but the Knicks have given up more to their opponents.

They’ve given up 100 or more points in seven consecutive games.

The Pacers have defeated the Knicks in eight straight games when playing in Indianapolis. New York is just 6-12 on the road so far this season.

Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) is still out for the Pacers. The Knicks expect to be fully healthy.

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New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, January 6, 2017
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Bucks 113, Knicks 108

MILWAUKEE — The New York Knicks became the latest victim of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rise to NBA stardom Wednesday night, when the 22-year-old sank a step-back jumper at the buzzer to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 105-104 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Friday night, they’ll try to stop Antetokounmpo and the Bucks — as well as snap a season-long six-game winning streak — when the teams meet in the back end of a home-and-home set at the Bradley Center.

Antetokounmpo has played himself into consideration for a starting role at the NBA All-Star game next month in New Orleans. With 500,663 votes, he’s currently second among Eastern Conference front court players behind Cleveland’s LeBron James and has a healthy lead over James’ teammate, Kevin Love, who’s in third place.

“He should be there, no question about it,” center Greg Monroe told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s definitely playing at an all-star level. It’s just making sure we’re doing the things we need to do as a team so there’s a spot for him in the All-Star Game.

“He’s been working on his game nonstop. You can see it; the stuff he does night in and night out, the energy he brings and the plays he makes for himself and others. It’s just a testament to how hard he’s been working.”

Antetokounmpo isn’t Milwaukee’s only All-Star candidate, either. Forward Jabari Parker is starting to look like the kind of game-changing playmaker the Bucks envisioned when he was taken second overall in the 2014 draft.

“I could care less about the voting,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “As long as we have players representing the Milwaukee Bucks, that’s all I care about. Right now you look at what Giannis and Jabari are doing, start or not start, hopefully, we can get both of those guys there.

“You’ve got to win. You look at their numbers, but it comes down to winning. If the team is winning, you have a better chance of having multiple guys go.”

As those two have grown, so have the Bucks, who bring a three-game winning streak and an 18-16 record into their rematch Friday with the Knicks, who come in looking to get back on track and salvage what had been an encouraging season.

The Knicks were two games above .500 when they took the court against the Celtics on Christmas Day but it’s gone all downhill from there.

“They’re in the locker room tired right now,” coach Jeff Hornacek, whose team has allowed at least 100 points in each of the six losses during the streak. “That’s all you can ask. That’s making strides. If we continue to do that, we’re going to win games.”

Making matters worse is the uncertain status of Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed New York’s last three games with a sore Achilles.

Aside from his 20.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, the Knicks lose a strong defensive presence in the front court without him; a presence that would go a long way in neutralizing the Antetokounmpo/Parker tandem down low.

“This club’s going through adversity right now. There’s no question about it,” Joakim Noah said. “Losing sucks. But we just got to bounce back.”

New York has won or tied each of the last five season series with the Bucks, including a 2-2 mark against Milwaukee a year ago.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Bucks 109, Knicks 99

Oddsmakers currently have the Bucks listed as 2-point favorites versus the Knicks, while the game’s total has not yet been posted.

NEW YORK — The defensively challenged New York Knicks will face a tough test when the Milwaukee Bucks pay a visit to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

The Knicks (16-18) have lost five straight in which they have allowed over 100 points in each game. They have the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league. Opponents are shooting 45 percent against New York, including .354 percent from beyond the arc.

The Knicks have lost 10 games by 11 points or more.

Adding to their worries, New York could be without second-year forward Kristaps Porzingis, whose status is uncertain due to an Achilles injury that has kept him out of the past two games.

In the Knicks’ 115-103 loss at home to Orlando on Monday, the Magic tied their season high with 15 made 3-pointers. Three players scored at least 20 points and Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton came off the bench to record their 17th and third double-doubles, respectively, this season. Vucevic scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Payton contributed 13 points and a career high-tying 14 assists.

“We have to find someone to play defense,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We have to have better pride. When you give a team three or four straight 3-pointers right off the start, you give them hope.

“We didn’t have enough fight to let them (Orlando) even take the shots. We might be good enough defensively. We might have to figure out ways to trap. Some of it is closeouts. Our guys were scrambling and we didn’t get out to them.”

The Bucks (17-16) feature the league’s top offense when it comes to points in the paint and a rising star in 23-year-old shooting guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo recorded his seventh straight game with 20-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in Milwaukee’s 98-94 win over Oklahoma City on Monday. He finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

His current streak is now the second-longest in franchise history (Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, 13 from Nov. 11-Dec. 6, 1972). Antetokounmpo also extended his career-best streak of games with 20-plus points to 12 and tallied his 15th double-double.

“You look at what he does on a consistent basis, that’s what stars are measured on,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “Giannis isn’t just about scoring the ball. He’s able to make plays — he makes winning plays — and that’s what stars do in this league. So for what he’s done here, from the beginning of the season, you can see his confidence is growing.”

Like his team, New York’s leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony, is also in a slump. In the five-game losing streak, Anthony is shooting just .361 percent from the floor. He has contributed only two double-doubles this season, compared to 22 last season.

“We have to get back to the gym, back to the basics and try to find some practice time,” Anthony said as a possible solution to the team’s defensive struggles. “We have to go back to the drawing board and get some reps up.”

The two squads meet again on Friday in Milwaukee.

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TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Thunder 110, Knicks 109

Point guards Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, chosen first and fourth, respectively, in the 2008 draft, will renew acquaintances on Monday when the New York Knicks host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden.

Rose’s Knicks (8-8) have won six straight at the Garden. Westbrook’s Thunder (10-8) are 4-3 on the road.

Oklahoma City comes in after a 106-88 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday when Westbrook posted 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds for his second consecutive triple-double and seventh this season. It was also his 44th career triple-double, which ties him with Cleveland’s LeBron James. It took Westbrook 395 fewer games than James to achieve the milestone.

Westbrook passed Fat Lever in all-time triple doubles to move into sixth place all-time. The UCLA product had 18 games in which he was either one assist or one rebound short of a triple double.

Westbrook averaged 32 points against the Knicks in two games last season.

“He’s a Hall of Fame player,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of Westbrook. “I mean that’s really what he is. He’s a Hall of Fame player.”

While Westbrook is humming along in his ninth season with the Thunder, averaging 31 points, 11 assists and 9.9 rebounds, Rose continues to get acclimated in his first season as New York’s point guard. He’s averaging 15.9 points and five assists a game.

The Knicks have recently lacked a point guard with Rose’s ability to accelerate to the rim and bounce off the pick-and-roll for layups. His arrival in the Big Apple after an offseason trade with Chicago and the development of power forward Kristaps Porzingis have alleviated some of the scoring burden from Carmelo Anthony.

The 32-year-old forward, who has been the Knicks’ top scorer since he arrived in a 2011 trade from Denver, has been buoyed by Rose, who he invited over for Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s an easy transition for me,” Anthony told Newsday. “I always wanted somebody or other guys who can do it for me. Sometimes you want to play the back end and do what you do from that aspect. You don’t always want to be in the driver’s seat.”

New York’s other big offseason acquisition, center Joakim Noah, who played with Rose in Chicago, has struggled. He missed two games with flu-like symptoms, but since his return against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, Noah hasn’t provided much offense. Noah has scored in double-figures only once this season.

He played just 12 minutes in the 107-102 loss to Charlotte in the back-end of a home-and-home on Saturday and didn’t take a shot, posting his fourth scoreless game of the season. He sat out the fourth quarter as the Knicks staged a late comeback.

“Those are not things I can control,” Noah told the New York Post about being on the bench in the fourth quarter. “All I can control is my progress. I need to play better and I will. I just got to stay working. I need to play better and I will.”

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Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Pistons 103, Knicks 102

Oddsmakers currently have the Knicks listed as 1½-point favorites versus the Pistons, while the game’s total is sitting at 201.

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons answered questions about whether they could find a capable replacement for Andre Drummond in their frontcourt.

The New York Knicks answered inquiries about whether they can defend.

Now comes the follow-up for both teams.

Drummond may be out with a sprained right ankle Wednesday when the Pistons visit the Knicks, who are coming off their best defensive showing of the young season.

Drummond missed his first game due to injury since March 19, 2014. He had an MRI, which revealed no structural damage, and did not practice Tuesday. The injury is not serious and if he does not play in New York, Drummond will likely return Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Without the league’s leading rebounder, the Pistons recorded a 104-88 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night. Drummond’s absence was compensated for by Aron Baynes finishing with 20 points (one shy of his career high) and eight rebounds.

New York Stats:
Team record: 4-6 SU,4-6 ATS
New York is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of New York’s last 25 games
New York is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home

“I put it back on everyone else. Everything they got me, I was in great position,” Baynes said. “All the way through the team, they got me great looks and I just had to finish. On a couple of them, I didn’t, so I still have some work to do.”

Technically Baynes’ comments are accurate since seven of his eight baskets were within 6 feet of the rim.

“He’s a starting center in the NBA. He’s just playing behind an All-Star,” Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. “You look around at all the starting centers and Aron’s a starting-caliber center in the league, so it’s not surprising he played as well as he did.”

Now comes a chance for Detroit to play well on the road. While the Pistons are 5-0 at home and each win has been by double-digits, the road has been a significant different story.

“Our defense at home has been great,” Van Gundy said. “I’m not quite sure why we haven’t been able to duplicate that on the road yet, but we’re locked in at home.”

Detroit was 0-5 on the road before taking a 15-point lead through the first quarter of Saturday’s 106-95 road win against the Denver Nuggets. During their first six road games, the Pistons have allowed 105 points per game while averaging 94.3 points.

In their seventh road game, Detroit will encounter a team that gave up less than 100 points for the second time this season. The Knicks are 4-6 after getting a 93-77 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Monday night.

A week after naming former interim head coach and current assistant Kurt Rambis as “defensive coordinator,” the Knicks held a team under 80 points for the first time since April 11, 2015, at Orlando and the first time at home since Dec 11, 2013, against the Chicago Bulls.

Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony had 24 points apiece and the Knicks took control over the final eight-plus minutes of the third quarter. During the second half Joakim Noah watched from the bench as coach Jeff Hornacek moved Porzingis to center while using Justin Holiday extensively at small forward.

“I got to figure out ways to be effective on that end of the floor,” Noah said.

Noah had six rebounds and was scoreless in 16 minutes. Noah has reached double-figures once and has been held scoreless twice, but any changes in the starting lineup are not occurring based on one half of Porzingis playing center and Anthony playing power forward.

Detroit Stats:
Team record: 6-5 SU,6-5 ATS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit’s last 6 games
Detroit is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road

“I don’t think so. Noah does a nice job in there defensively,” Hornacek said. “It may depend on the team (we’re playing). Maybe we can go there (small) a little bit more often. But we’re not, just because we were good in the second half doesn’t mean we’re going to change it.”

The move worked as Porzingis exploited his height advantage on Andrew Bogut while the Knicks gave up a season-low 26 points in the paint.

“I’ll keep playing the four if they play me at the four,” Porzingis said. “And if I’m at the five, I’ll try to be as productive as I can at the five.”

Detroit took the first meeting with the Knicks when Tobias Harris scored 25 points in a 102-89 home win on Nov. 1. Drummond had nine points and 13 rebounds but has eight career double-doubles against New York.

The Knicks have won 11 of the last 13 meetings at home.

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New York At Atlanta
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, April 13, 2015
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), SportSouth (Atlanta)
PREDICTION: Hawks 107, Knicks 91
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Oddsmakers currently have the Hawks listed as 13½-point favorites versus the Knicks, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.

Atlanta had a four-game winning streak snapped by the Wizards but put up a fight even with its first string sitting out. The watered-down lineup didn’t get the job done at the defensive end, though, giving up 29 fast-break points and allowing Washington to shoot 42.9 percent from 3-point range. The Hawks have made 799 3-pointers this season, two behind the 2007-08 Magic for 10th most in NBA history.

Atlanta was a 108-99 loser in its last match on the road against the Wizards. They earned a push of the +9-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 207 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 60-20 SU,49-30-1 ATS
Atlanta is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

New York is nearing a merciful end to the worst season in franchise history and does so with a lineup devoid of stars. Fourth-year center Cole Aldrich was the closest thing the Knicks had against the Magic, as he put up a career-high 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the ugly victory. The Knicks haven’t won back-to-back games since late February.

The Knicks were a 80-79 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Magic. They covered the +11-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (159) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Team record: 16-64 SU,33-45-2 ATS
New York is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
New York is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
New York is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road

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