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1. Yesterday, the Pelicans outlasted the Knicks in an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden. After New York led by 19 points late in the third quarter, New Orleans rallied in the following period by outscoring the home team 27-13 to force the overtime session. In overtime, the Pelicans received the necessary cushion when Jrue Holiday connected on a 3-pointer and Anthony Davis hit a fading baseline jumper to push the advantage to three points. Behind Davis’ 48 points and 17 rebounds, New Orleans escaped New York with a 123-118 win to even the season series at one apiece.
2. Jarrett Jack continues to impress at the signal-caller position. The veteran point guard scored a season-high 22 points on Sunday afternoon and he’s averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds over his last five contests. Additionally, the 34-year old is shooting 55.9 percent from the floor and 40 percent behind the arc during that same time period.
3. Prior to Sunday’s contest, the Knicks officially signed point guard Trey Burke. During his G League stint with the Westchester Knicks, Burke was prolific by averaging 26.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals. He was named the NBA G League Player of the Month for games played in December. The former ninth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft was dressed for yesterday’s contest. Head coach Jeff Hornacek will make a decision on his availability before tipoff in Brooklyn today.
4. New York owns a 2-0 advantage over its foe across the East River this season. In the first meeting, the Knicks cruised to a 107-86 victory and New York held off the Nets in the second matchup 111-104 despite Kristaps Porzingis leaving the contest in the second half. Courtney Lee erupted for 27 points in the December 15 win and Kyle O’Quinn grabbed 10 boards off the bench.
5. Brooklyn is 5-11 in its last 16 outings since the second meeting against New York. On Saturday night, the Nets fell to the Wizards 119-113 in overtime after they surrendered a 23-point lead. At 16-27, Brooklyn will begin a three-game homestand starting today against the Knicks. As seen in the previous two contests, the Nets launch a significant amount of shots from long distance. Brooklyn ranks No. 3 in 3-point attempts and No. 2 in makes in the NBA. New York is a solid defensive team when challenging the 3-point line. Entering today’s game, the Knicks have held their opponents to 35.8 percent (11th in the NBA) shooting from downtown.