After a day full of trade rumors, the New York Knicks took to the court to face the New Orleans Pelicans. This was a very close game throughout as both teams battled for the lead. But in the second half the Knicks put together solid play on both ends to win. The Pelicans hung around, but in the end couldn’t score when they had to. In the end the Knicks would win 98-91 to capture just their 21st win of the season.
Carmelo Anthony was the consistent force for New York yet again. His play was strong as he scored a game high 42 points. This performance marked the third time this season that Anthony has scored at least 40 points. The Knicks have to hope Anthony doesn’t break down. These close game are really tough situations. He is averaging close to 40 minutes a night and tonight played 39 minutes. Over time logging all of those minutes can lead to various injuries, hopefully Anthony can stay away from that.
Off the bench JR Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr were strong. Both scored in double figures and combined to score 35 points. Smith in particular came off a very tough game last night. He has struggled to wear the face mask he must wear due to a fracture in his cheek. Tonight he was able to score and seemed perfectly fine. Hardaway Jr on the other hand continues to play really well. He shot the ball exceptionally well and continues to provide big time baskets for New York. Both Smith and Hardaway Jr were huge tonight, without them the Knicks would have lost.
Moving on to some troubling news for New York. Iman Shumpert sprained his left knee in the third quarter tonight. That is the same knee he had ACL surgery on in the past. He didn’t return and the Knicks are now saying that he is headed back to New York to be re-evaluated. Shumpert has struggled this season and now this injury could be something that keeps him sidelined for awhile.
The Pelicans had a fantastic game out of Eric Gordon. He shot the ball really well leading to 28 points. Gordon took advantage of poor defense by the Knicks and made them pay. He continues to be inconsistent as a pro, but tonight really gave the Pelicans a strong performance.
The Knicks played a solid game on Anthony Davis as they held him to just 14 points. Davis had strong game despite not scoring. He had five blocks and ten rebounds in his 38 minutes tonight. His play continues to prove why he’ll be a star in the league. Tonight he played hard nose basketball that didn’t lead to a win, but in the future his play will lead to wins.
This was a very evenly played game tonight. Both teams battled and had moments in this game, but the Knicks were able to play solid at the right time to get the win.
Photo Credit: Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images
No comments:
Post a Comment