Rockets eye historic MSG win, aiming for sixth straight road victory against a struggling Knicks squad. Durant leads the charge.
The Houston Rockets (34-20) meet the New York Knicks (35-21) for the first time this season on the road, both ranking in the top four in their respective conferences.
Houston heads to Madison Square Garden after securing their fifth consecutive road win in Charlotte on Thursday. The Rockets were led by a surgical Kevin Durant who notched 35 points at 70-percent shooting, including the two clutch free throws that put the nail in the coffin with three seconds to spare in the final frame.
Houston erased an 11-point deficit after flipping the script in the second. In his post game interview with Vanessa Richardson, Durant said, “I think we won this game really at the end of that second quarter,” when the Rockets outscored the Hornets 29-19. Houston then took an 11-point lead of their own on an extended run, which Charlotte did diminish.
But with Durant’s work on both ends of the court and some solid execution from the bench, Thursday night’s game tilted into the Rockets’ favor, and the Hornets were forced into reactive basketball the rest of the night.
The Knicks walk in less confident after a brutal 126-111 loss to the Pistons at home on Thursday night. New York simply lost the math game in the end, converting just eight of 35 attempts from deep, while failing to contain Cade Cunningham, who notched 42 points, going 17-for-34 and burying five threes himself.
Houston has been at its best on this road stretch when it controls tempo and finishes possessions. The Rockets can’t afford sloppy live-ball turnovers in the Garden- that’s when the building gets loud and the Knicks start running. Defensive rebounding will be critical against a New York team that crashes the glass and extends possessions.
Offensively, patience matters. The Knicks will crowd the paint and force Houston to make reads under pressure. If the ball sticks, it’s going to be a long night. If it moves, like it did in Charlotte, the Rockets can stretch New York’s defense and create clean looks from deep.
Madison Square Garden has a way of amplifying mistakes. Houston’s task is simple- rinse and repeat what they did in the last three quarters in Charlotte.
It starts with physicality. The Rockets piled up 23 stocks (15 steals and 8 blocks) and turned defense into 16 fast break points, forcing the Hornets into reactive basketball. That same disruption has to travel. Against a Knicks team that prefers half-court control and thrives on second chances, finishing possessions and winning the glass is non-negotiable.
Offensively, the blueprint remains the same: let Durant control the temperature. If New York sends doubles, the ball has to move- Jabari spacing, cutters active, shooters ready.
The overall formula here: don’t give the Knicks oxygen, stay organized, and match physicality. And if it’s tight late, they’ve already shown they have the closer to finish it.