The New York Knicks have yet to lose two consecutive games since Mike Woodson took over as the interim head coach.
A loss tonight would end that run, and more importantly, they would surrender the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
New York (29-28) looks to even up the season series as they visit the Milwaukee Bucks in Wednesday’s best game.
The first two games between the teams were taken by the Bucks, but playing for the fourth time in five nights, they lost the most recent meeting at Madison Square Garden 89-80 back on March 26.
After averaging 30.5 points and 7.5 assists in the first two games, Brandon Jennings was limited to 15 points on 6-of-22 shooting with five turnovers in the last contest.
For the Knicks, it could prove to be the most important game of the season, as a loss would give the tie-breaker to the Bucks.
They will have to find a way to win without Amare Stoudemire, who has been ruled out for the contest with a bulging disk, but is nearing a return.
Carmelo Anthony has regained his health and stroke, averaging 29.8 points over the last eight games, a streak that began with the win over the Bucks. His run also coincided with the absence of both Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, who remains sidelined after a knee surgery.
Anthony has historically played well at the Bradley Center, averaging 29.6 points in 10 career games.
Tyson Chandler, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, is one of only eight big men averaging a double-double on the season with 11.1 points and 10 rebounds.
A loss for Milwaukee (28-29) would be devastating, as they would fall two games behind the Knicks and would have to settle for a tie of the season series.
Since losing to the Knicks, they have gone on to win six of their last eight contests.
Beating New York won’t be easy, however, as the Bucks have won a measly nine games in 34 tries against teams with a winning record. In contrast, they have won 19 of their 23 games against teams below .500.
Ersan Ilyasova has been stellar over the last seven games, averaging 17.7 points and 11.7 rebounds. A Most Improved Player candidate, he is one of only four players in the last 20 years to average at least 12 points and eight rebounds in under 28 minutes.
After averaging 15.3 points on 56.9 percent shooting in the month of March, Mike Dunleavy has cooled off considerably, averaging just 9.6 points on 38.6 percent shooting in the month of April.