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Knicks’ Stoudemire may return to face Raptors |
New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni likes the direction his offence is heading. Even if Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t on the court demanding defensive attention. The Knicks hope to have Stoudemire back as they try to build on their best offensive performance of the season Monday night against the struggling Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET). Stoudemire, who is averaging 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in three games, is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left ankle. The six-time All-Star didn’t dress Saturday against Sacramento, but that didn’t seem to have much of an effect on New York’s offense. All five starters had 14 points or more for the Knicks (2-2) in an easy 114-92 win. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 23 points, while Stoudemire’s replacement, rookie Josh Harrellson, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for New York, which had averaged 80.0 points on 35.8 per cent shooting in losing its previous two games. “Our team is starting to pick up things in the offence that if we continue to do it, we can be successful,” D’Antoni said. “When you have a Carmelo with an Amar’e, it tends to open the floor even more. When the ball moves, our younger guys can get more involved.” The Knicks finished with season highs of 26 assists and 46 points in the paint. “When the ball is moving like that, you can see how successful we can be offensively,” Landry Fields said. “It’s a very nice win. Hopefully it brings us momentum going into our next game.” New York had no trouble offensively against Toronto last season, averaging 114.5 points in sweeping the four-game series. Stoudemire averaged 26.8 points and 11.5 boards against the Raptors in 2010-11, while Anthony had 23 points and nine rebounds in the lone game he played in last season’s series, a 131-118 win at MSG on April 5. The Raptors (1-3) were 26th in scoring defence last season (105.4), and although they’ve been more sound defensively in 2011-12, yielding an average of 96.8 points, it hasn’t translated to many wins. Toronto’s defense played well through three quarters Sunday in Orlando but didn’t get many stops down the stretch. The Raptors led by as many as 13 in the fourth, but the Magic shot 70.6 per cent (12 for 17) in the final period to rally for a 102-96 win. It was the second consecutive second-half collapse by Toronto, which squandered a seven-point, third-quarter lead in Friday’s 99-86 loss to Dallas. “I don’t really have an explanation as to why this game got away,” said Jose Calderon, who had 18 points and 13 assists. “It’s tough. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened with Dallas. They’re two veteran teams. They know how to play in those moments. We’ve got to learn from that.” Andrea Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points Sunday, but only scored three in the fourth quarter. The 7-foot Italian, who is averaging 26.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting in his last three games, had a career-high 41 points in a 113-110 loss at MSG last December. What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Knicks and Raptors meet at MSG |
Written byThe Sports Network
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New York Knicks Show Promise Against Sacramento… |
The New York Knicks really took it to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night (Dec. 31), and in the process proved that the team has weapons other than Amare Stoudemire. Forced to play without the power forward, the Knicks still cruised to a nice 114-92 victory. Every starter for the Knicks scored in double-figures against the Kings, including rookie Josh Harrelson going for 14 points and 12 rebounds in his first career start. The Knicks have a real asset in Harrelson, and it is clear that he could add a lot to the team this year. This is what I was talking about when I wrote about how the Knicks could benefit from having Stoudemire sit out a game. Carmelo Anthony led the team in scoring with 23 points, but he struggled from the field (6-for-15). Anthony made up for it by going 11-for-13 from the free throw line, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. Down low, Tyson Chandler was an absolute beat, going 6-for-8 from the center position and hitting all 10 of his free throws. For a guy that took only 6 shots total in the first three games, this was a huge outing. Chandler’s 22 points were more than any Kings player had. Helping with the additional scoring was Landry Fields with 21, Toney Douglas with 17 and Bill Walker with 11 points off the bench. The Knicks made 88.9 percent of their free throws, going 24-for-27 from the line to really put this game out of reach. It also didn’t hurt that the defense held the Kings to just 34.9 percent shooting from the field and just 27.3 percent from three-point range. After losing two games on the West Coast to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, this was a great way to bounce back. The Knicks improved to 2-2 on the season and kept pace with the 2-2 Philadelphia 76ers in a tie for first place in the Atlantic division. For a team still trying to find itself, Knicks fans have to come away from this win with a big smile. The team got forced to find offensive weapons other than Stoudemire and passed that test will flying colors. If the team can keep this up when he returns, it could become tough for any of the Eastern Conference teams to stop them. The next game for New York is on Monday, Jan. 2 against the Toronto Raptors in the first of several games at Madison Square Garden. More From YCN : Stoudemire Injures Ankle Knicks Crushed By Warriors No_Garnett_Suspension New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks Sources: Full Knicks Schedule New York Knicks Website *Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. Subscribe to our feed!. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Knicks Beat Kings: Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler… |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Tyson Chandler had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the New York Knicks assumed control early in beating the Sacramento Kings 114-92 on Saturday night. The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Amare Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer who sat out with a sprained left ankle. They got an unexpected lift from replacement Josh Harrellson, a rookie from Kentucky who made his first NBA start and had career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and hit four 3-pointers. In the team’s first three games, Harrellson had three points and five rebounds in 29 minutes. New York (2-2) used a 15-0 run in the opening quarter to take a 35-20 lead. Toney Douglas scored nine points and had three of the Knicks’ six 3-pointers. Landry Fields had 21 points and Chandler added seven rebounds for the Knicks, who had struggled offensively in losing their previous two games, but had a season-high point total against the Kings. Douglas had 17 points and eight assists. Marcus Thornton had 14 points for the struggling Kings (1-3), who have lost three straight after defeating the Lakers at home to start the season. Both Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans had 13 points. The Kings shot 35 percent from the field and made only 26 of 41 free throws. With the Knicks getting contributions from many different players, Anthony was quiet early in the game and his first basket didn’t come until he made a driving layup midway through the second quarter. Yet he still had 17 at halftime and the Knicks had a 14-point lead. With the Knicks ahead by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Chandler scored eight points in the opening three minutes, including two three-point plays. Chandler’s second one put New York ahead 88-70. The lead was 20 points or more for much of the fourth quarter. Chandler was in foul trouble and barely a factor in the first half, playing four minutes. However, the veteran center made all six free throws and had eight points in the third quarter in helping the Knicks take a 78-65 lead into the fourth. Anthony scored 15 points and Harrellson had 11 in the opening half, when the Knicks led 56-42. The Kings shot 33 percent as their offensive problems continued. Notes: Knicks reserve forward Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right calf. . The Chicago Bulls also had a 15-0 first-quarter run against the Kings in Thursday’s game. . Free throws continue to be a problem for Evans, who has made 13 of 27 this season. . Knicks rookie center Jerome Jordan committed four fouls in his first seven minutes. ‘; Gotta run!. |
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Anthony, Chandler lead Knicks over Kings 114-92 |
Learning at a morning shootaround that he would be making his first NBA start because teammate Amare Stoudemire was injured, New York Knicks rookie Josh Harrellson didn’t have a lot of time to be nervous. And the rookie from Kentucky didn’t show it, either. Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and the Knicks got an unexpected 14 points and 12 rebounds from Harrellson in controlling the game early and cruising past the Sacramento Kings, 114-92 on Saturday night. The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, who sat out with a sprained left ankle. All five starters had 14 points or more for New York, which took a 14-point lead into halftime and the lead never dipped below double digits in the second half as the Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak. Tyson Chandler had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Landry Fields scored 21 points for the Knicks, who had struggled offensively in losing their previous two games, but had a season-high point total against the Kings. Toney Douglas had 17 points and eight assists, and Bill Walker added 11 points. “When the ball is moving like that, you can see how successful we can be offensively,” said Fields, discussing the Knicks’ season-high 26 assists. “It’s a very nice win. Hopefully it brings us momentum going into our next game (Monday at home against Toronto).” Harrellson connected on his first shot, a wide-open 3-pointer two minutes into the game. He added three more 3-pointers and clearly outplayed Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, his teammate for one season at Kentucky. “I guarded him all season at practice, so I felt like I know DeMarcus’ game,” Harrelson said. “I thought I did a good job on my former teammate. I was trying to get him out of whack, get him out of his rhythm.” There had been no rhythm offensively in the first three games for Harrellson, who had a combined three points and five rebounds in 29 minutes. “It was very important for me to make that first shot and get my confidence going,” Harrellson said. “They had to come out and guard me and that opened things up and left other people open.” New York (2-2) used a 15-0 run in the opening quarter to take a 35-20 lead. Douglas scored nine points and had three of the Knicks’ six 3-pointers. “They were hitting big threes and executing and jumped on us and we were never able to crawl back in the game,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said. Marcus Thornton had 14 points for the struggling Kings (1-3), who have lost three straight after defeating the Lakers at home to start the season. Both Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans had 13 points. The Kings shot 35 percent from the field and made only 26 of 41 free throws. Sacramento plays a home game against New Orleans on New Year’s night. “This is a very disappointing loss because we had a very good practice (Friday), probably our best practice of the year,” Kings forward Chuck Hayes said. “But we came out like we don’t know how to carry it over. It’s discouraging.” With the Knicks getting contributions from many different players, Anthony was quiet early in the game and his first basket didn’t come until he made a driving layup midway through the second quarter. Yet he still had 17 at halftime and the Knicks had a 14-point lead. A rested Anthony finished with seven rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes, including just a two-plus minute stint in the fourth with the win secured. “Our team is starting to pick up things in the offense that if we continue to do it, we can be successful,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “When you have a Carmelo with an Amare, it tends to open the floor even more. When the ball moves, our younger guys can get more involved.” With the Knicks ahead by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Chandler scored eight points in the opening three minutes, including two three-point plays. Chandler’s second one put New York ahead 88-70. The lead was 20 points or more for much of the fourth quarter. Chandler was in foul trouble and barely a factor in the first half, playing four minutes. However, the veteran center made all six free throws and had eight points in the third quarter in helping the Knicks take a 78-65 lead into the fourth. “From the beginning of the game until the end, we just looked lost,” Evans said. “We just play off our natural talent and that’s how we get our points. It’s terrible right now and we’ve just got to figure something out.” Anthony scored 15 points and Harrellson had 11 in the opening half, when the Knicks led 56-42. The Kings shot 33 percent as their offensive problems continued. Notes: Knicks reserve forward Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right calf. . The Chicago Bulls also had a 15-0 first-quarter run against the Kings in Thursday’s game. . Free throws continue to be a problem for Evans, who has made 13 of 27 this season. . Knicks rookie center Jerome Jordan committed four fouls in his first seven minutes. That’s all the news for today. |
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