Emmanuel Mudiay, Nuggets look to continue momentum against Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis

Season series: 1-0 Nuggets 

Coming off a fantastic overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets, the Denver Nuggets will look to maintain their momentum and grab a win in a game with both the “tankers” and the “win anyway” crowd finally united due to Denver’s rights to swap picks with the Knicks in the 2016 NBA draft.

New York on the other-hand has gone 3-7 in their last 10 games and look to be on a downward spiral as interim coach Kurt Rambis tries everything in his power to steady the ship while in reality having the opposite effect.

Sasha Vujacic has played 52 minutes in 6 games under Kurt Rambis. Vujacic is averaging 0.0 points per game. He hasn't scored a single point.

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 2, 2016

Injury report:

Nuggets: Wilson Chandler – (right hip arthroscopic surgery), Danilo Gallinari –  are both out (two torn lateral ligaments and medial ligament sprain in right ankle). Kenneth Faried (low back), Gary Harris (right shoulder contusion), Jameer Nelson (left wrist sprain) and Jusuf Nurkic (left knee soreness) are all listed as probable. 

Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis – game time decision (contused left lower leg), Cleanthony Early – out (gunshot wound in right leg)

Kid Congo becomes a man

No longer a teenager, the 20 year-old rookie has matured not only in age but also on the court.

Mudiay has been attacking the rim with a newly ignited aggression, something fans have been begging him to do more often since he’s gotten here.

Emmanuel is at his best when he is an actual threat to score, instead of always playing for the pass when he gets inside or settling for tough stepback fadeaways. It opens up so much in both his game and all of his teammates.

Look on this play at how Mudiay sees daylight and then hurls himself towards the rim without hesitation:

Mudiay has the potential to be unstoppable driving to the rim with his rare blend of size, strength, quickness and control. Watch how he not only blasts by his man, but also has the strength and body control to finish the play while off-balance:

And as we’ve seen many times before when Mudiay is a threat to score, good things happen:

Last time Mudiay played the Knicks, he eviscerated their defense to the tune of 15 points, 9 assists and 0 turnovers. Jose Calderon isn’t exactly known for his defensive prowess, so we can expect Mudiay to have a similarly good game and build upon his recent resumé of success.

European stars collide

Porzingis is listed as a game-time decision (we’ll update) for this game, but fans should be hoping for a showdown between he and Nikola Jokic — two dynamic prospects.

Last game in New York, Jokic didn’t play much, although that wasn’t due to ineffectiveness. He scored 13 points to go along with 6 rebounds in just 18 minutes on the floor.

It was an absolute joy to watch these two matched up against each other as Porzingis gets much more national hype, being an enigmatic 4th overall pick for the New York Knicks, and Jokic dominating under the radar.

These games serve as a true measuring stick to seeing just how well the Serbian matches up with other more heralded rookies. Jokic may not have the athleticism that some of the other big men have, but he makes up for that with an abundance of savvy: