Securing a sixth victory on the bounce will be the objective for high-flying New York Knicks in Sunday's meeting against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden.
Similarly, the away side also head to New York City for this weekend's encounter in fine form, having come out on top in all but one of their most recent six outings.
Match preview
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Continuing their recent thrashing of Western Conference opponents, the New York Knicks were far too strong for the Denver Nuggets as they romped to a 122-112 triumph when the teams locked horns on Thursday.
Having also fended off the challenge of the Sacramento Kings with relative ease, Tom Thibodeau's men came out on top in all four quarters to secure one of their most routine victories of the campaign despite winning by only a 10-point margin.
All-star guard Jalen Brunson was unsurprisingly the main driving force for the Knicks as he notched 30 points on 10-16 shooting from the field to go along with a game-high 15 dimes in his 36 minutes of action.
Now 32-16 for the campaign, the New York Knicks remain within one win of the Boston Celtics in second place, although they are still well short of current conference leaders Cleveland Cavaliers heading into the All-Star break.
With five wins apiece for both sides over the last 10 editions of this fixture, there has been little to choose from in recent matchups between Sunday's opponents, who will do battle for the first time in just under a year this weekend.
Having already beaten the third and fourth seeds in the West, the Knicks will now seek to get the better of the number five seed in the Los Angeles Lakers before rounding off their five-game homestretch against the number two seed Houston Rockets.
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Bouncing back in style from a 118-104 defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers 48 hours earlier, the Lakers recorded their largest victory of the campaign by comprehensively beating the Washington Wizards 134-96.
JJ Redick's men wasted no time taking control of proceedings as they led by 13 after the first quarter and 33 heading into the half-time break, but that did not deter them from putting on yet another impressive display in the second half to extend their advantage by a further five points.
The NBA's all-time leading point scorer, LeBron James, delivered the goods once again as he tallied 24 points to lead the way for the Lakers, closely followed by Rui Hachimura (22) and Shake Milton (21).
Off the back of seven wins from their most recent nine matches, the Lakers continue to solidify their quest for an automatic playoff berth, having now moved into fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
In the fifth of a six-game road trip, Sunday's visitors will be keen to continue their recent upturn in form before moving across town to the Intuit Dome to face off against city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers on February 5.
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Team News
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Mitchell Robinson continues his personal battle with an ankle problem, but there is growing optimism that the center could return to the fray over the next couple of matches.
However, Kevin McCullar Jr still faces an extended spell on the sidelines due to a long-term knee injury, while Pacome Dadiet is yet to recover from a toe problem.
Lakers duo Christian Wood and Gabe Vincent are both ruled out for this one due to knee injuries, and the former is without an appearance in almost one year.
Anthony Davis is yet to fully recuperate from an abdominal strain, but the 31-year-old is set to be re-evaluated in about one week to determine his readiness to return to action.
Jalen Hood-Schifino (hamstring) and Dorian Finney-Smith (shoulder) complete the list of potential absentees for the away side, who recently welcomed Jarred Vanderbilt back to action.
New York Knicks possible starting five:
Brunson, Hart; Bridges, Anunoby; Towns
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting five:
Christie, Reaves; James, Hachimura; Hayes
We say: Knicks to win by 6+ points
The Knicks have established themselves as one of the most physically imposing teams in the league, and given the Lakers' lack of size at the moment, we are backing the home side to emerge triumphant.
Adepoju Marvellous
