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| After missing the Nets' last five games, Deron Williams returns this afternoon against the Knicks |
When: 2:30 PM EST; Monday, January 10th, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden; New York, NY
TV: YES Network/ESPN
On this Martin Luther King Jr Day afternoon, in which all of us Americans honor one of the greatest leaders and civil rights activists the world has ever seen, matinee basketball gets in the way, and here in the Big Apple, we have a pretty solid New York City matchup as the Nets head to MSG to take on the Knicks.
Returning from their triumphant London trip and blowout win over the Hawks, the Nets are 6-1 so far in the new year and even get their starting point guard, Deron Williams, back from an ankle injury, even though he'll come off the bench today. Truthfully, Brooklyn hasn't missed D-Will much, as the team has played its best ball of the year in the past few weeks in games that Deron mostly missed. Still, obviously, getting him back is huge for the Nets' depth and allows Jason Kidd to not run guys like Alan Anderson and Shaun Livingston into the ground.
The Knicks also get a point guard back today, as Pablo Prigioni (toe) also returns to action after a prolonged absence. The 36-year-old Argentine isn't a flashy player by all means, but he's a solid defender and is someone Mike Woodson and the Knicks need to be a good overall team. He doesn't perform exceptionally well in any one aspect of a basketball game, but is decent at many of them. The perfect reserve point guard for a team as mercurial and irrational as the New York Knicks.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Shaun Livingston (PG), Alan Anderson (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Paul Pierce (PF), Kevin Garnett (C)
NYK- Raymond Felton (PG), Pablo Prigioni (SG), Iman Shumpert (SF), Carmelo Anthony (PF), Tyson Chandler (C)
Final Thoughts
The Nets, with Brook Lopez, were annihilated by the Knicks in a 113-83 drubbing on December 5th at Barclays, pushing Brooklyn to as close to rock bottom as possible. Granted, Deron and Paul Pierce both missed that game, causing now-Pelicans guard Tyshawn Taylor to start, but the Knicks still went 16-for-27 from three and shot 57 percent from the field, blowing the Nets away. That cannot happen again today if the Nets want to improve to 17-22.
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