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Knicks aim to keep Kings winless vs. East

Mar 19, 2009 - 7:51 PM By Anthony Giornalista Stats Senior Writer

Sacramento (14-54) at New York (28-39) 7:30 p.m. EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Knicks will likely need strong performances against Western Conference opponents this month to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Sacramento Kings know full well how poor play against the opposing conference will hurt a team's season.

Losers of two straight, the Knicks look to keep the banged-up Kings winless against the East on Friday night.

New York (28-39) is 7-14 after winning six of its previous seven, putting in doubt its hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Knicks trail eighth-place Chicago as part of a crowded group of teams trying to secure the final postseason spot in the East.

With some tough matchups against West teams over the next 11 days, New York's postseason chances might be clearer entering April. The Knicks will face New Orleans, Utah and Denver, who are all in playoff position in the West.

New York, though, begins its stretch of games against the West with the conference's worst two clubs - league-worst Sacramento (14-54) and the Los Angeles Clippers.

A matchup with Sacramento should help New York get back on track.

The Kings are 0-28 against the East, with just two more chances to avoid becoming the first NBA team to go winless against the other conference. They host Philadelphia on Sunday night.

New York took advantage of Kevin Martin's absence on Dec. 13, beating Sacramento 114-90. Martin, the Kings' leading scorer, missed that game due to a sore left ankle and his status for Friday's contest is uncertain due to illness.

Martin came down with a virus and missed a 104-88 loss to Charlotte on Wednesday night. He isn't the only Sacramento player the Knicks might be able to avoid.

Andres Nocioni (quadriceps) also sat out versus the Bobcats, and Rashad McCants was lost late in the fourth quarter after spraining his right ankle.

McCants, who started for Martin, had 30 points before getting hurt. Still, Sacramento lost its fifth straight and fell to 4-31 on the road.

"We just have to get better production all around," Kings coach Kenny Natt said . "We just can't have one, two, three guys playing well and then the rest just giving in."

New York will be without a valuable reserve of its own, with rookie Danilo Gallinari considering surgery on his ailing back. Gallinari, who missed most of the first 2 1/2 months of the season due to the injury, has left the team to meet with specialists in Italy and isn't expected back until Monday.

Knicks point guard Chris Duhon returned after missing two games with a sore ankle and back, going 1-for-7 and finishing with seven points off the bench in a 115-89 loss to New Jersey on Wednesday night.

Nate Robinson remained in the starting lineup in place of Duhon. He's averaging 25.0 points in his last five games.

New York, though, has been held under 100 points in two straight games after reaching triple figures in 26 straight contests. The Knicks went 2-for-17 from 3-point range versus the Nets and had as many turnovers (15) as assists.

"It's very hard to point out one thing," New York coach Mike D'Antoni said.