Jazz Look To Slow Suddenly Hot Knicks, Will Spike Lee Be In Attendance?
Mar 3, 2020, 3:35 PM | Updated: 3:45 pm
Spike Lee looks on in the 2020 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz travel to New York to face the Knicks in the second game of a four-game road trip Wednesday night. Both the Jazz and Knicks are carrying two-game win streaks into the meeting after long losing streaks as they returned from the All-Star break.
The Jazz beat the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night in Cleveland 126-113, led by 28 points from forward Bojan Bogdanovic. The Croatian forward had his best game since the mid-season hiatus, connecting on 10-19 shots from the field including 5-10 from the three-point line.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are coming off their best win of the season, upsetting red-hot Houston Rockets 125-123, led by rookie guard RJ Barrett who scored 27 points, while snaring five rebounds and handing out five assists.
RJ was aggressive from the start and put on a show 💨 pic.twitter.com/tAH7E8neo0
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2020
The Knicks bench was the deciding factor against Houston, outscoring the Rockets second unit 59 to 24, led by 15 point outings from both Bobby Portis and Wayne Ellington. The smaller Houston roster was outrebounded 65-34 in the contest.
The celebration for the Knicks victory was shortlived as drama between Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee and Knicks owner James Dolan ruled NBA headlines. Lee, a 28-year season ticket holder, and infamous Knicks superfan has been asked to use Madison Square Garden’s VIP entrance rather than the employee entrance to which he’s become accustomed.
The Jazz had lost four consecutive games before beating the Washington Wizards to salvage a victory in an otherwise winless five-game homestand. The Knicks had lost six straight contests before downing the Chicago Bulls to open a five-game homestand of their own.
A highlight you need in your life #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/0P6N6Ecxyp
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 3, 2020
The matchup has tilted in the Jazz favor in each of the last three contests, including a 128-104 thrashing in Salt Lake City in early January. Bogdanovic and former Knick Emmanuel Mudiay led the Jazz with 20 points in the blowout victory. Reserve guard Frank Ntilikina paced the Knicks with 16 points off the bench.
The Jazz have dates with the Celtics Friday night in Boston, marking the front end of back to back games as the team travels to Detroit to face the Pistons to end the four-game road trip.
Tip-off between the Jazz and Knicks is set for 5:30 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet.
