Knicks return to Madison Square Garden

New York will welcome Boston and Houston to the Big Apple and has won two straight games for the first time this season. The Knicks defeated Washington on Wednesday before beating Miami on Friday.

The Knicks took advantage of a Shaquille O’Neal-less Heat squad, as Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 19 points in a lopsided 100-76 victory at American Airlines Arena. New York has now won back-to-back games by 20 points for the first time since the 2003 campaign.

David Lee had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jerome James contributed nine points and three boards in his season debut for New York’s bench, which recorded 46 points against Miami.

Quentin Richardson currently leads the Knicks in scoring with 17.4 points per game and is making life a little easier for new head coach Isiah Thomas. Thomas and the Knicks went through a tumultuous 2005-06 campaign and are slowly piecing together all the broken pieces.