What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets November 20

Tuesday, November 20^th, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets

The Knicks start a three game road trip with a match-up against number one overall pick Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Hornets.  The Knicks are on top of the Eastern Conference right now and again own the best winning percentage in the NBA with the Grizzlies losing Monday night.  The Knicks had a nice bounce back victory Sunday afternoon, as they have yet to lose two games in a row with Mike Woodson as head coach. Here are some things to watch for tonight

-Carmelo Anthony vs. Anthony Davis

Carmelo Anthony has made a living on the offensive end thus far this season against bigger opponents that cannot keep up with him on the perimeter.  Tonight could be the biggest challenge Anthony faces thus far this season in number one overall pick Anthony Davis.

Davis was drafted already being an elite defensive prospect because of the impact he was capable of making on that end of the floor.  His length and athleticism could cause a problem for Anthony, who has struggled at times around the basket because of the punishment the bigger players are delivering.

When the roles are switched, with Anthony on defense, hopefully he will not have to guard Davis.  Davis is skinny, but the continuous beating against bigger opponents will eventually wear down Anthony. 

It will be an interesting matchup, as Davis is not an imposing man but definitely causes problem on the defensive end because of his gift of blocking shots.

-Keep Up the Pressure

The Hornets have one of the lesser offenses in the NBA, scoring only 93.1 points per game and ranking 23rd in the NBA.  Without shooting guard Eric Gordon in the lineup with knee problems, the Hornets lack a go-to scorer to fill up the basket.  This is definitely bolds well for the Knicks, who are currently surrendering the least amount of points per game in the NBA at 90.

-Three Point Shooting

The Knicks three point shooting has cooled off some from the first week of the season, but they have some players that are still lighting up the scoreboard from deep. 

J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Ronnie Brewer are all shooting well above their career averages from deep, going for 60, 52 and 42.1 percent respectively.

The Knicks will have to continue their hot shooting and limit the 3 point opportunities for the Hornets, specifically Ryan Anderson.  Last season, Anderson destroyed the Knicks, knocking down seven three pointers en route to a 30 point game. 

This season, Anderson is shooting 38.9 percent from three point land and knocking down three a game, making him the leading Hornets scorer at 16.4 points per game.  If the Knicks can limit his opportunities, it would make life much easier.