Knicks beat Wizards 99-96

The New York Knicks travelled to Washington D.C. to take on the Wizards. The Knicks were looking to snap a two game losing streak against a winless team. Before the game coach Mike D’Antoni announced that guard Iman Shumpert would not start the game. This was despite the news that D’Antoni was considering adding Shumpert to the starting lineup after their lost to the Bobcats.

The first quarter was a terrible one for the Knicks as they were held to 15 points and gave up 32 points. They struggled on both ends of the floor and looked out of sorts. But the second quarter saw the Knicks comeback from 16 points down to end the half down by one point. They looked much better on both ends of the floor and seemed to have better fluidity on the offensive end.

The second half was even better for the Knicks as Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire led the team on the offensive end and Iman Shumpert led the team on the defensive end. This was the best combination that Mike D’Antoni was able to put on the court. Toney Douglas and Landry Fields played minimally in the second half and Douglas played just two minutes. The Knicks had better floor balance with Douglas and Fields off the floor.

Carmelo Anthony led the game with 37 points and 7 rebounds. He really had a great game leading the Knicks when they needed a score. His teammate Amare Stoudemire had a nice game as well. He scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a nice effort from him. What he did tonight was go to the hoop and not force shots up. His game looked even better tonight because he was able to move around and let the ball find him for a score.

Mike Bibby had his best game with the Knicks so far as he scored 11 points and dished out 3 assists. Bibby hit three big baskets that kept the Knicks in front. He can get plenty of minutes if he is productive. Also, Iman Shumpert played even better in this game as he scored 10 points, dished out 7 assists, and had 5 steals. More importantly the Knicks were +20 points with Shumpert on the floor. He will be starting soon maybe even tomorrow.

The Knicks won this game because they played better defense in the second half and wanted to win the game. The Knicks may have won by three points, but this win brings some confidence back to a team who was struggling.