Steve Merril's NBA Fullcourt Report (Jan 19)

As we near the midpoint of the NBA regular season, injuries are playing a major role for most teams. This is the case tonight as both TNT national TV games have key players missing. The Knicks will likely be without point guard Stephon Marbury for the second straight night, while the Kings could possibly be without three of their top four scorers. While injuries are important, their effect on the pointspread is often overrated as both the Knicks and Kings covered the spread in their past games, despite playing short-handed. Below is a look at both national TV games this evening. DETROIT at NEW YORK - 8:05 pm ET (TNT) The Pistons were one win away from winning back-to-back NBA championships last season and they appear to be the team to beat this year. Detroit improved to 31-5 SU with an easy 117-89 win at Atlanta last night. The Pistons were able to rest their starters as they entered the fourth quarter with a 22-point lead. Detroit already beat New York at home, 106-98, as an 11