Tonight the New York Knicks had one of their best defensive games of the season. Limiting the Spurs to just 12 points in the paint the Knicks really held the Spurs in check tonight. Along with the limiting of inside scoring, the Knicks also forced 13 turnovers with 10 steals. They moved with their man and rarely were beat. This was a very aggressive defense that played smart and under control.
Carmelo Anthony was a true leader tonight as he scored 23 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. Anthony really was looking to distribute in the second half and that effort really got the Knicks rolling. Anthony found Steve Novak twice and each time Novak hit a three. Those threes were huge and the Knicks would take all the momentum and would go on to win this game. Anthony also looked to get Amare Stoudemire involved. He threw two nice passes to Stoudemire and each time Stoudemire was able to draw fouls. Stoudemire scored 10 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in his 20 minutes on the floor tonight. Stoudemire still was a step slow on the defensive end, but he did make some nice defensive plays.
Tonight JR Smith scored 20 points for the fifth straight game. Smith was a plus 27 tonight, meaning with him on the floor the Knicks outscored the Spurs by 27. Smith was a huge force off the bench and continues to do great things off the bench. Smith played smart and really did everything in his power to help get his team the win. He also threw down one of the best dunks of the season.
Pablo Prigioni played exceptional tonight. Prigioni scored 6 points, dished out 9 assists, and had 3 steals. Prigioni also had no turnovers tonight which speaks volumes to his excellent play tonight. He continues to play well in games in which Jason Kidd struggles. Kidd scored just 5 points in 20 minutes on the floor. Prigioni should see an increase in minutes after his brilliant performance tonight.
Steve Novak scored 12 points off the bench as he connected on five three-pointers. His play really improved tonight not just offensively, but defensively as well. Novak had two steals that led to excellent offense by the Knicks. If he can be more consistent the Knicks would be much more dangerous.
Tonight the Knicks beat the Spurs for the second time this season. There defense really improved tonight and that should continue when they face the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. There were many positives to take from tonight’s game. But the main positive was that the Knicks were able to get back to playing excellent team defense. The adjustment to start Marcus Camby really paid off tonight. The Knicks outrebounded the Spurs 48-35 and Camby was a huge presence in boxing out.
This was a very nice win for the Knicks who have some momentum to take into Saturday’s game. But they have to comeback and show that this wasn’t a one game performance.
Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images
Follow me on Twitter: @CaardelEaddy and or @CaardelsBlog
No comments:
Post a Comment