Sitting just one game above .500 and having lost three of their last four, the Knicks will look to avoid further slippage tonight against the Lakers. That won't be easy. Los Angeles leads the Pacific Division by the long shot, and they come to the Garden riding a three-game win streak, including last night's gritty victory in Boston.
The Knicks and Lakers have already met once this season. New York put up a spirited first half when the teams met in L.A., but fell off in the second, suffering a 109-87 defeat. The loss featured some bad blood between the two squads, including Ron Artest clothes-lining Amar'e Stoudemire, Artest putting his hand around Shawne Williams's neck, and Andrwe Bynum getting ejected.
Ronny Turiaf will miss tonight's game, his third straight absence since spraining his ankle. Timofey Mozgov will start once more in hopes of combating the Lakers' frontcourt after Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom killed New York on the boards last time around.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Tipo-off is at 8 PM. See Posting and Toasting for more Knicks coverage.