Associated Press

New York Knicks (21-10, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (5-23, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -13; over/under is 228.5

BOTTOM LINE: New York is looking to build upon its six-game win streak with a victory over Washington.

The Wizards have gone 4-15 against Eastern Conference teams. Washington has a 1-22 record in games decided by 10 or more points.

The Knicks are 15-7 in conference matchups. New York is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 33.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 10.7.

The Wizards average 12.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 fewer makes per game than the Knicks allow (13.6). The Knicks average 14.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Wizards allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jordan Poole is averaging 21.3 points, five assists and 1.6 steals for the Wizards.

Towns is averaging 24.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Knicks.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wizards: 3-7, averaging 106.7 points, 47.7 rebounds, 24.3 assists, 7.8 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.4 points per game.

Knicks: 8-2, averaging 115.0 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.6 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.2 points.

INJURIES: Wizards: Saddiq Bey: out (knee), Kyle Kuzma: out (ribs), Marvin Bagley III: out (knee), Jordan Poole: day to day (hip).

Knicks: Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The 8-4 Washington State Cougars will take on 9-3 Syracuse on Friday in the 45th edition of the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl has taken place in San Diego, Calif., since 1978, and will be held at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time this year.

Though both Washington State and Syracuse have had football programs for at least 130 years, Friday’s game will mark just the second matchup between the two teams. The two teams last played in 1979, when Syracuse earned a 52-25 win.

Syracuse comes into the game ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll, and riding a three-game winning streak. Washington State comes into the game with significantly less momentum, having lost their last three games.

The Orange will play in their 29th bowl game on Friday, but will make their first appearance in the Holiday Bowl.

Syracuse first appeared in a bowl game in 1953, when they lost to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. The team lost their first three bowl games, and lost six of their first nine bowl game appearances. Their first bowl game win came over Texas in 1959, the same year they won their lone national championship.

The Orange have made three straight bowl games, but have lost each of the last two. They will look to correct course with a win over Washington State.

Washington State first appeared in a bowl game in 1915, when they played in the second edition of the historic Rose Bowl. They have played in the Rose Bowl four times over their history.

The Cougars have also appeared in the Holiday Bowl four different times. They made their first appearance in 1981, the fourth installment of the Holiday Bowl, and most recently in 2017.

Washington State saw their longest streak of bowl games under late coach Mike Leach, who led the Cougars to five straight Holiday Bowls from 2015 to ’19. Washington State went 0-2 in the Holiday Bowl and 2-4 in total bowl games under Leach.

The Orange hold the advantage over the Cougars in bowl game record.

The Washington Commanders will attempt to secure their 11th win of the season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Kirk Cousins was the anticipated matchup that Commanders fans were looking forward to. Unfortunately for Cousins, too many turnovers and not enough wins landed him on the bench following the Falcons’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

This is a high-stakes matchup featuring two rookie quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix, who are attempting to lead their team to a playoff berth. The Commanders still have areas that need improvement; running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Washington’s run game has been stagnant for an extended period. In five out of the last six games, the Commanders’ running backs have averaged 19 carries for 58 yards. The lone exception where the Commanders’ running backs haven’t averaged three yards per carry came against the Tennessee Titans defense, where they rushed for over 200 yards. Daniels’ has carried the running game in recent weeks, mostly on scrambles, which is not sustainable long-term.

On Sunday, Washington must re-establish their identity against Atlanta if they want to have a legitimate shot at advancing in the playoffs. The running game issues are not a one-group issue; the offensive line has struggled to win at the point of attack. Their ability to get back to their early-season ways is not trending in the right direction as defenses have begun to adjust to them. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is very aware of the problem, and aludes to the issue primarily being a player-based issue, but can they get things turned around this week?

You can listen to the full Trap or Dive game post-game recap below. We discussed:

• Falcons offense much better with Penix?
• Can the Commanders run game get back on track before postseason play?
• How Washington should approach Bijan Robinson-led Falcons offense
• Injury updates; Marshon Lattimore and Jon Allen current game status

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