The New York Knicks will welcome defensive ace Iman Shumpert back to the lineup for the first time since April 28 when the Knicks and Pistons square off on foreign soil at 3 p.m. ET Thursday.
Knicks vs. Pistons preview: A showdown in London with a start up for Iman Shumpert
The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons will face off in London at 3 p.m. ET Thursday. Here’s everything you need to know about the most unusual game on the NBA schedule.
For the first time since 2011, a regular-season NBA game will be played in London, and the contest will be broadcast nationally on NBATV.
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson informed the media during shootaround on Thursday that Shumpert will play for the first time since tearing the ACL in his left knee last season, and it's likely that the second-year guard will start -- though Woodson didn't commit to the idea just in case Shumpert tightens up after warm-ups.
Tyson Chandler had been dealing with a virus, and he missed practice on Wednesday, but he will suit up and play for New York against the Pistons.
The Knicks have stumbled a bit since their impressive 20-7 start to the season. New York has dropped six of its last 10 games, including conference losses to the Celtics, Pacers and Bulls last week. The Pistons have managed to trend in the opposite direction. They opened the year 0-8, but after seven wins in their last 10 tries own a semi-respectable 14-23 record.
Andre Drummond has come on strong in the last 10 games. He has seen more time on the court (23.0 MPG) during that span, and he's made the most of his opportunity. He's converted 65.6 percent of his shots and blocked 2.2 shot attempts per game, all while posting numbers just short of a double-double average (8.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG). Chandler and the No. 16 defense in the NBA will be put to the test by Drummond and Greg Monroe down low.
Shumpert will be left to contend with Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum on the perimeter. Bynum has fallen back to Earth after an explosive string of games to close out 2012, but Brandon Knight has picked up his level of play in the meantime. Over the last five games, Knight has posted 15.2 points, 3.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest over 34.6 minutes of action.
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