Inside The Rockets

Knicks Present Strong Test for Rockets

The Houston Rockets have a difficult matchup against the New York Knicks.

Jeremy Brener

Feb 12, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives with the ball as Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives with the ball as Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets have a tough test ahead of them tonight as the New York Knicks come to town.

The Knicks arguably made the biggest splash of any team in the NBA this offseason by making two major blockbuster trades, one for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets for an excess of future draft capital, and the other for Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

The biggest hurdle for the Knicks this season is to figure out how to have Towns and Bridges co-exist with star point guard Jalen Brunson.

While the Knicks struggled in their losses to the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the past two games have looked like the team New York envisioned on paper.

Against the Miami Heat, Towns scored 44 points while making an impact both in the post and on the perimeter. Then, Brunson scored 36 points in the team's most recent win against the Detroit Pistons.

Brunson and Towns may be the most dynamic guard/big duo in the league, and they should give the Rockets a strong test. Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and the rest of the young core will have to be on their A-game if they want to get back on track and beat the Knicks in their home arena.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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