Knicks Hold On Despite 4th Quarter Struggles
Posted by Kenneth Teape on Tuesday, January 07, 2014 with No comments
Post Game Recap
The Knicks did not make it easy on themselves but they were
able to knock off the Pistons at Madison
Square Garden
89-85 Tuesday night, ending their four game home losing streak in the process. The
Knicks led by 15 to start the fourth quarter and allowed the Pistons to come
all the way back but were able to hold them off for the win. The win tonight
marks only the second time this season the Knicks have put together consecutive
wins; the first came December 5th and 6th against the
Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic. The
Knicks will take the victory, albeit it ugly, as the Knicks will face some of
their stiffest competition Thursday in the defending champion Miami Heat.
Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony
If not for Anthony the result of the game tonight easily
could have been in the Pistons favor. Anthony would not let it happen as he
willed the Knicks to a win tonight with a game high 34 points. Anthony shot the
ball efficiently, shooting 13-24 overall from the field, including a scorching
6-7 from behind the three-point line. Anthony was the catalyst in the third
quarter to get the Knicks in control of the game as he nailed three straight
three pointers in the middle of a 15-0 Knicks run. He added a fast break dunk
to punctuate the run. Anthony helped the Knicks ice the game playing
outstanding one-on-one defense against Josh Smith on the Pistons last offensive
possession and grabbed the offensive rebound off Raymond Felton’s missed free
throw with seven seconds left. He added four rebounds, two assists, four steals
and one block on the night to round out his stat line.
-Positives
Andrea Bargnani was faced with a tough assignment going
against an outstanding rebounding team but he held his own in the game.
Bargnani finished the game with a team high 11 rebounds and the highest +/- on
the team with +17. The Knicks were very productive with Bargnani on the court
as he also added a little scoring, putting in 13 points on 6-13 shooting. It
would have been encouraging to see Bargnani score a little more but the fight
he showed on the glass made up for it.
Without Kenyon Martin it is hard to imagine the Knicks even
having as many wins as they have this season. The intensity and tone he brings
to the game is matched by no one on this team; when he is on the court good
things happen. Tonight was one of those nights once again as Martin stepped
into the starting lineup for Tyson Chandler and they didn’t miss a beat. Martin
scored six points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out five assists. Any
production Martin gives on the offensive end is an added bonus.
Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports |
Iman Shumpert didn’t have the gaudy scoring numbers or an
insane scoring stretch like on the Texas
road trip but he still had an impact on the game tonight. Shumpert grabbed six
rebounds, dished five assists and came away with two steals. The most
impressive thing he did on the night was hold Brandon Jennings in check even
though he had some early foul trouble. Jennings ,
who has killed the Knicks throughout his career, especially at Madison
Square Garden ,
was held to five points on 2-12 shooting. The Knicks played solid defense
overall on the night, holding the Pistons to 37.2 percent shooting for the
game.
-Negatives
At this point the Knicks cannot be picky about wins but this
one they were lucky to come away with. Outside of Anthony the Knicks offense
was abysmal, combining to score only 55 points on 35.1 percent shooting (20-57
from the field, 3-19 3pt). The Knicks will need a better performance from their
supporting cast Thursday night or else the Heat will run them off the court.
Al Bello/Getty Images |
The fourth quarter let down by the Knicks is unacceptable. Jennings
has questioned his team before, saying they give up too easily but tonight they
fought until the very end; it was the Knicks who looked to pack it in being up
15 entering the final quarter. The Knicks need to stop reverting back to bad
habits as the offense stalled. The combination of isolation plays being called
and Felton losing steam because his conditioning is not up to par yet resulted
in a disastrous fourth quarter fort he Knicks that saw them get outscored
27-16.
Mike Woodson still does not seem to put this team in the
best position to win with the rotations and lineups he decides on. Tonight
Felton was pushed to the max and it almost cost the Knicks as he had two costly
turnovers while the Pistons mounted their comeback. Also J.R. Smith somehow was
able to get 30 minutes of playing time again giving the Knicks almost no
impact; he finished with only six points and -10. The Knicks will also fall
into luls like in the fourth quarter as Woodson continues to show blind
loyalties to certain players.
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