Knicks vs. Jazz Preview: How, Who to Watch as Knicks Seek a Crazy 8th

Just over 24 hours after their latest one-sided effort, the New York Knicks return home to face the Utah Jazz in the latter half of a back-to-back.

There's smooth jazz and then there's what the New York Knicks have been doing over the past month. 

A magical January comes to an end for the Knicks on Tuesday night when the Utah Jazz come to visit: New York is 13-2 in the new calendar year's first month, the latest triumph of which was a 113-92 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

Playing without OG Anunoby (elbow inflammation) and Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder) the Knicks played tepidly over the first 24 minutes en route to a mere three-point halftime lead but exploded over the latter dozens to the delight of a crowd that was mostly geared in their favor. Villanova duo Jalen Brunson (32) and Donte DiVincenzo (28) united for 60 points in the latest victory, the Knicks' seventh in a row en route to creating the NBA's longest active winning streak.

The Knicks have been playing like a completely different team since the first half of their yearly pair with the Jazz on Dec. 13: since a 117-113 loss at Delta Center (paced by 26 points from Collin Sexton), the Knicks have gone 17-7. But the triumph had a similar effect on Utah, which has gone 16-8 in the same span to reignite its postseason case. The Jazz are looking to salvage a .500 record in the last part of a six-game road trip, having dropped a 147-114 decision to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

If the Knicks want to push their winning streak to eight games, they'll have to overcome some negative trends: each of the past two couples with the Jazz have ended in sweeps and they're 4-5 in the latter halves of back-to-backs this season.

What: Utah Jazz (24-24) @ New York Knicks (30-17)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Tuesday, 7:30 

Who's Favored: NYK -4.5

Keep An Eye On: Donte DiVincenzo

With Randle down, only DiVincenzo is eligible to partake in all 82 Knicks games this season. New York certainly wouldn't mind if he earned that honor: after opening the winning streak with a brutal five-point outing against the Houston Rockets, DiVincenzo has done his part in the Knicks' scoring efforts: he's averaging 17 points over the past six, shooting just over 45 percent from the field including just under 39 from three-point range. The injuries have forced the Knicks to rely on the first-year New Yorker in a larger role and he's responding to every opportunity and then some.

Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS

Salt Laker to Watch: Jordan Clarkson

Time will tell exactly how the Jazz choose to approach the deadline, especially with a potential postseason trip on the line. If they opt to eschew the Play-In Tournament Dallas Mavericks-style, the most tradeable asset is Clarkson, who did not partake in the first go-around back in December. Clarkson has mostly come off the bench since returning but has made an impact to the tune of double-figure outings in all but two of his New Year showings. Tuesday's game could prove to be a battle of the benches: entering Monday night, the Jazz's reserves hold the top offensive rating in the league at 67.8.

They Said It

“You can’t replace those guys individually, so you have to count on your defense and rebounding and creating advantages for each other. We got the usual from Jalen but I thought Josh was fantastic and Donte was terrific, and I thought Precious' first time playing at the power forward and Jericho gave us really good minutes as well."-head coach Tom Thibodeau on replacing OG Anunoby and Julius Randle in Monday's win over Charlotte (h/t Steve Popper, Newsday)

Could Jordan Clarkson Trade Solve Knicks' Bench Scoring Woes?

Prediction

Even with Utah's relatively muted nature on the NBA leaderboard, Tuesday will stand as a testy challenge for the Knicks: it's the latter portion of a back-to-back, the Jazz are trying to prove themselves worthy of postseason inclusion, and the Knicks could be low on depth again with Randle out and Anunoby's status in question whether he plays or not. New York, however, has proven more than capable of withstanding such challenges and should be ready for another come Tuesday's tip-off. Brunson's continued shooting efforts should allow them to at least hang with the NBA's finest. It won't be easy, but imagine what it can do against a team teetering on the verge of mediocrity like the Jazz.

Knicks 114, Jazz 111