Lakers vs. Knicks: Players Who Must Step Up for New York with Superstars Out

Amar'e Stoudemire is dealing with the death of his brother and Carmelo Anthony is out with a groin injury, which means other players will need to step up if the New York Knicks are going to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

Here are three players head coach Mike D'Antoni will be counting on to have big performances against Kobe Bryant and Co.

Jeremy Lin

Linsanity has taken New York by storm over the past week as the unheralded point guard has gone from unknown to superstar in the blink of an eye. He deserves all the credit in the world for taking the opportunity and running with it, averaging more than 25 points per game over the past three.

Now comes the tough part. He's not going to catch teams off guard anymore, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the expectations that come with instant stardom. The talent has always been there, but even he is probably surprised at how quickly things have started to work out.

Luckily for him, the Lakers point guard position is a black hole of production. Derek Fisher is running on empty and Steve Blake wasn't impressive in his return. Lin needs to keep the dream streak alive by exploiting that matchup.

Tyson Chandler

Chandler signed a monster deal with the Knicks after playing a key role in the Mavericks' title run last season. It's always a risk to give a free agent a big contract when they are coming off a career year, but it appears the Knicks made the right decision.

The defensive stalwart has not only continued to dominate on that end of the floor, but his offensive game is improving as well. He's averaging 18 points over the last four games as the Knicks have asked him to do more with the main threats out.

He has a really tough task ahead of him tonight, though. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are both playing well for the Lakers. Since the Knicks don't have another reliable low-post option, Chandler will be the constant focus on double teams. He needs to find a way to be productive anyway.

Bill Walker

Even though Walker's minutes have seen an uptick with Anthony and Stoudemire sidelined, increased production hasn't come along with it. He's hit just 6-20 shots in the last two games, scoring a total of 16 points.

The Knicks are going to need his play to improve not only tonight but down the stretch as well. Depth will continue to play a major role in the current NBA season, and Walker has enough talent to become a valuable contributor.

If the swingman is going to be more efficient, he needs to start being more aggressive and stop settling for so many jumpers. Look for him to start using some of his quickness against Metta World Peace, who is no longer the defender he once was.