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Charlie Widdoes

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

After notching their first back-to-back road wins of the season, the Knicks return home for Game No. 82 -- Fan Appreciation Night at the Garden. 

Derek Fisher's squad has gone through its growing pains over the first 81 games, but showed its growth in victories over Orlando and the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks. Cole Aldrich notched a career-high 19 points to go with 14 rebounds against the Magic, and Langston Galloway followed that up with a sensational, 26-point effort (on 10-of-12 shooting, 6-for-6 from downtown) for his career high in Monday's improbable win in Atlanta.

Tim Hardaway Jr. provided scoring punch in both games, carrying the Knicks down the stretch in Orlando before dropping 23 points against the Hawks. He and Jason Smith both seem to have settled into their groove in the Triangle, and it gives a glimpse of what New York's offense could become when players are reading and reacting in sync.

After a 5-23 start, Stan Van Gundy's team threatened to jump back into the playoff picture after waiving Josh Smith in late December and subsequently reeling off seven straight wins. But point guard Brandon Jennings went down for the season with a torn Achilles in late January and, despite trading for Reggie Jackson, the Pistons could never turn it around.

Detroit features one of the NBA's most imposing front lines, with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond averaging nealry 30 points and 24 rebounds between them. Jackson has embraced his starting role since moving to Detroit, posting 17.4 points and 9.1 assists in 26 games as a Piston.

Doors open at 6:30 for Fan Appreciation Night festivities, so make sure to arrive early if you're coming to the game.

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Scouting Report: Knicks Battle Detroit on Fan Appreciation Night

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Knicks' penultimate game of the season comes tonight against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Before heading home to close out the year against Detroit on Fan Appreciation Night, New York will look to build on Saturday's gritty win in Orlando, in which Cole Aldrich poured in a career-high 19 points to go with 14 rebounds and Tim Hardaway Jr. buried a 25-foot 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to clinch the victory.

Aldrich was unstoppable early, and Derek Fisher's squad held off the Magic comeback thanks to contributions from Jason Smith (13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 6 assists) and Hardaway down the stretch.

Atlanta distanced itself from the rest of the Eastern Conference before the All-Star break and has been on cruise control since clinching the top seed weeks ago. At this point, Mike Budenholzer is resting his key players to ensure that they'll be ready for a long postseason run.

Despite the lineup shuffling, the Hawks have won four of five games; like San Antonio, where Budenholzer won four NBA championships as an assistant coach under Greg Popovich, Atlanta can plug in different pieces and its style of play remains consistent. The Hawks move the ball and stretch the floor as well as any team in the league -- entering tonight, they're second in both assists and 3-point percentage.

Fisher suggested he'll stick with the same starting lineup tonight in Atlanta. Andrea Bargnani (illness) did not travel with the team.

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Scouting Report: Knicks Final Road Contest Comes in Atlanta

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic

Tonight in Orlando, the Knicks will wrap up the final back-to-back set of 20 this season. It's been a challenging year, with injuries and roster changes adding to the difficulty of adjusting to a new system, but Derek Fisher voiced his pleasure with his team's effort down the stretch after Friday's 99-91 loss to Milwaukee at the Garden.

Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas combined to score 36 points in the defeat, and Fisher praised their impact on New York's positive locker room culture. Giannis Antetokounmpo's 23 points and 9 rebounds put the Bucks in position to clinch a playoff spot, but the shorthanded Knicks showed grit to fight back from a sluggish start to the 3rd quarter.

Despite a promising young core of players, Orlando is headed to the lottery for the third straight season. A foot injury forced No. 4 overall pick Aaron Gordon's season to miss almost half the season and the Magic haven't gotten the boost they expected from some veteran additions -- the team's top five scorers are all under 25 years old. 

Big man Nikola Vucevic (19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game) is a double-double machine, and he's surrounded by high-upside talent. The backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo can cause turnovers and score in transition, while Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier add inside-out scoring ability on the wings. 

Andrea Bargnani missed Friday's game with an illness, but Fisher said he was looking to shuffle the starting lineup after a few recent slow starts. Lou Amundson responded with a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) off the bench and both Shane Larkin (14 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) and Jason Smith (11 points, 7 boards,3 assists) provided a spark.

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Scouting Report: Knicks Look to Bounce Back in Orlando

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Tonight marks the beginning of the Knicks' final back-to-back of the season; they'll battle Milwaukee before heading to Orlando to play tomorrow night. 

Derek Fisher's squad is coming off a 102-86 defeat against the Pacers, in which New York struggled to match up with Indy in the paint and on the glass. Langston Galloway continued to fight through the fatigue of a long rookie season, scoring 19 points to lead five Knicks in double-figure scoring: Andrea Bargnani (15), Tim Hardaway Jr., Quincy Acy and Jason Smith (12 apiece).

With four games left to play, including two against the teams directly below them in the standings, Milwaukee is hanging onto the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Bucks control their own destiny, with a two-game cushion over Brooklyn (Sunday's opponent) and Boston, who they'll face in the regular season finale.

Jason Kidd's team has bounced back from having the NBA's worst record last season by playing defense -- an impressive feat considering the loss of rim protector Larry Sanders earlier in the year. The Bucks rank fifth in the league in defensive efficiency, which keeps them in games in spite of the 25th-best offense.

There is unprecedented length, led by trade deadline acquisition Michael Carter-Williams (6'6"), Khris Middleton (6'7") and Giannis Antetokounmpo (6'11") on the perimeter, and unsurprisingly the team is in the top 10 in both steals and blocked shots.

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Scouting Report: Knicks Final Back-to-Back Begins With MIL

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers

With only two home games remaining on the schedule after tonight, the Knicks go for two wins in a row as they face Indy for the fourth and final time this season.

New York beat the Sixers on Sunday night at the Garden to snap a nine-game losing skid behind 25 points from Andrea Bargnani and Shane Larkin's first career double-double (15 points and 11 rebounds). The Knicks also set a season high with 14 blocked shots in the victory, including four apiece from Bargnani and Jason Smith.

Paul George is back! After breaking his leg during a Team USA scrimmage last summer, the former All-NBA wing returned on Sunday to help Indiana in its playoff push. His 13 points in just over 14 minutes helped lift Indy over Miami, one of the three other teams locked up in a tight battle for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference.

With George back, Frank Vogel's squad is hoping it can regain the form that made it a contender for the past few seasons. George Hill has had a career year, averaging 15.8 points per game, and the front line of Roy Hibbert and David West continues to be among the league's most imposing defensive combos.

The Pacers announced that former Knick Chris Copeland suffered a knife wound to his left elbow and abdomen this morning in New York City. He is currently in the hostipal and in stable condition...Phil Jackson announced this morning that the Knicks have signed Ricky Ledo for the remainder of the season.

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Scouting Report: With George Back, Knicks Battle Pacers

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Ricky Ledo set a new career high with 21 points on Friday in  Washington, but the Knicks couldn't contain John Wall, who dished out 18 assists to lead the Wizards to victory. 

The Knicks' starting backcourt of Langston Galloway and Shane Larkin combined for 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals but New York shot just 36.9 percent from the field in the loss. With only five games left to play after tonight, Derek Fisher's team will look to finish the season strong.

Philadelphia enters tonight having lost four games in a row, but there have been promising developments for the Sixers' young core over the course of this year. Nerlens Noel has made a case for Rookie of the Year, averaging 13.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 2.3 steals and 1.9 assists per game since the All-Star break. 

After trading Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee at the trade deadline, Philly plugged in Ish Smith and actually gained some efficient production at the point guard spot. With one of the youngest teams in the NBA, Smith's calming presence has helped youngesters like Noel and fellow rookie Jerami Grant develop during the year.

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Scouting Report: Final Knicks-Sixers Matchup of Season

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards

Coming off a spirited comeback against the Nets on Wednesday, the Knicks look to build on some positive performances as they conclude the season series against Washington. 

Andrea Bargnani got going early, with 17 of his 22 points by halftime, but Brooklyn opened up an advantage and New York trailed by 14 points entering the 4th quarter. It took some inspired performances by Knicks youngsters to lead the team back and turn the Garden crowd into a frenzy. Cleanthony Early scored all 14 of his points in the final period, Ricky Ledo set a new career high with 13, and Quincy Acy came off the bench to score 12 points, including two 3-pointers as part of the comeback effort.

In all, five Knicks made two 3s as they climbed back and gave themselves a chance to win on the last possession. Early's attempt at a buzzer-beater was off the mark, but Fisher was proud of the fight his team showed.

Washington is looking to find consistency as it prepares for the postseason; losers of five of their last seven, the Wizards will have to execute better in its half court offense (ranked 22nd in the NBA in efficiency this season) if they hope to make a deep run. 

John Wall is dynamic with the ball in his hands -- a one-man fastbreak averaging 17.6 points and 9.9 assists per game -- but Washington is in the bottom third of the league in both 3-point and free throw attempts per game. Nene and Marcin Gortat give the Wizards size and skill up front, but they rely heavily on Wall to break down defenses and create looks.

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Scouting Report: Knicks Look to Slow Wall's Wizards

Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls

The Knicks battled down to the very last second, but couldn't quite come up with the plays to beat Boston last night at MSG. The Celtics outshot New York from the fre throw line, 43-14, which Derek Fisher called the difference after the game.

Andrea Bargnani led all scorers with 25 points to go with his seven rebounds, but Boston's bench scoring was too much for the shorthanded Knicks.

As has become their M.O. under Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls have battled injuries all season long but remain right in the thick of the playoff race. Thanks to the additions of Pau Gasol and Rookie if the Year candidate Nikola Mirotic, they've been able to sustain with Derrick Rose (knee), Jimmy Butler (elbow) and Joakim Noah (various injuries) all missing significant time.

Mirotic has been exceptional lately, averaging 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in March. Chicago enters tonight having won four of its last five games.