5 Facts to Know for Knicks-Nuggets

Both teams are playing the back-end of a back-to-back tonight. The Knicks took down the Cavaliers in Cleveland last night, while the Nuggets dispatched the Nets in Brooklyn.

Tim Hardaway Jr. busted out in a big way Sunday, scoring 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting (5-of-10 from 3-point land) in the New York win.

Kristaps Porzingis score 32 points against the Cavs, giving him four 30-point games in the first five games of the season; something no Knick has ever done before. Porzingis and Hardaway also became the first teammates to each score 30-plus points in a game for the Knicks since February 3, 2014 (Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith).

The last time these teams faced, Denver’s own unicorn, Nikola Jokic, got the better of the Porzingis. Jokic exploded for a career-high 40 points on 17-of-23 shooting, while Porzingis mustered 17 points with four rebounds. Revenge will surely be on KP’s mind this time around.

Both of these teams were heavily reliant on their starters last night with the Knicks getting 101 of 114 points from theirs, while the Nuggets starters racked up 92 of 124 points. Playing a back-to-back, they will need to rely on their benches more.