Nuggets vs. Knicks Has High Stakes
![Jan 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts after a foul in the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Jan 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts after a foul in the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3936,h_2214,x_0,y_309/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_knicks/01jjqe28gfgnrt4xqyee.jpg)
The New York Knicks will lace them up tonight as they host superstar Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
It's the only time the reigning MVP is in town at Madison Square Garden this season, making it a big game for both sides.
The Athletic's Steven Louis Goldstein listed the nationally-televised matchup as one of the most important of the week.
"This game is an advanced, graduate-level course in modern offense," Goldstein writes.
"The Nuggets play fast, whir around the ball and make more 2-pointers than any other team. Nikola Jokić is an electromagnetic mountain that seemingly powers the entire state of Colorado. The Knicks are 27th in pace, but fifth in 3-point shooting and No. 2 in offensive rating. All five of their main guys can initiate action in vastly different ways. The franchise has two All-Star starters for the first time since 1975."
The Knicks are coming off of a win in their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, where they dropped an insane 143 points at home for the second-consecutive time, first doing so in their win last Saturday against the Sacramento Kings at MSG.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are coming into the game on the opposite side of the spectrum, losing to the Chicago Bulls.
"New York’s offense was floating on Monday, putting up 143 points against the usually-stout Grizzlies. Six Knicks scored at least 14. It was perhaps their most dominant wire-to-wire win of the season," Goldstein writes.
"Denver’s Monday night looked considerably less copacetic. They fell to the lowly Bulls despite Jokić’s usual brilliance of 33 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. Wednesday night will mark the midpoint of the Nuggets’ five-game road trip."
Tipoff between the Nuggets and Knicks is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.