New York goes for second straight win under Wilkens

This is the second meeting this season between the two squads. On January 2nd, Chicago defeated the Knicks, 104-99, at Madison Square Garden.

Keith Van Horn poured in a season-high 30 points as the Knicks began the Wilkens era with a 108-88 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

Wilkens, the all-time NBA coaching leader in both wins and losses, was hired to replace Don Chaney on Wednesday afternoon. The 66-year-old, who became the team’s 21st head coach, watched his new team blow out one of his former clubs on Friday. Wilkens coached the Sonics to an NBA title in 1979.

"When you come in to the Garden, you better bring your best basketball," a confident Wilkens warned the rest of the league on facing the Knicks in New York.

Van Horn hit 10-of-15 shots, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Allan Houston added 18 points and Stephon Marbury contributed 17 assists to help the Knicks top the 100-point barrier for the third straight game. New York has won two of those three contests.

"I thought he had a fabulous game. He did everything I asked him to do," Wilkens explained of Marbury, the Knicks’ new star point guard.

The Knicks are 3-3 since acquiring Marbury from the Phoenix Suns on January 5th.

New York won for the third time in eight home tilts and improved to 11-11 on its home floor this season.

The Knicks, who have won three of their last four on the road, are 6-13 as the visitor this season.

Chicago comes into tonight’s game having lost two straight and four of its last five. On Thursday, the Bulls were defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies, 108-93,at The Pyramid.

Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams led the Bulls with 13 points apiece in the loss. Ronald Dupree and Eddy Curry both netted 12, but it was not enough to keep the Bulls from dropping their seventh game in 10 tries.

Scottie Pippen had 10 points — eight in the fourth quarter — in 16 minutes of action on Thursday. He played in just his second game since returning from a knee injury

Crawford has scored in double digits in four straight games. He is averaging 16.8 points per game in 38 minutes of action per night in that span.

Chicago rookie Kirk Hinrich, who finished with seven points and five assists in the loss to Memphis, is averaging 12 points and 7.8 assists in the last four games.

The Bulls, who have lost four of their last six as the host, are 7-14 at home this season.

The home team has won nine of the last 11 contests in this series. Chicago has won five straight as the host over New York.