Game Recap: Knicks Top Wizard’s On Carmelo’s Game Winner

They survived! The New York Knicks won a preseason thriller tonight against the Washington Wizards. It was one of the most exciting preseason games I have ever watcher (I know it’s preseason basketball). Carmelo Anthony with the game winner, at home in The World’s Most Famous Arena, was something Knicks fans needed. There were a lot of highlights and not a lot of low-lights tonight, which is a tribute to how the team played.

With Jose Calderon sidelined with his calf injury, Shane Larkin got the nod at point guard. He was definitely a bit overwhelmed to start off the game, however, the game seemed to slow down for him in the second quarter. The young point guard is critical to the Knicks success as he will be the one commanding the second unit. At one point in the second quarter, Cole Aldrich and Shane Larkin worked a beautiful two man game that resulted in a smooth jump shot by Larkin.

The Knicks got killed by Otto Porter and John Wall. Absolutely destroyed. Wall could not be stopped and went off for a preseason high of 29 points on 10-16 shooting. The Wizard’s point guard also had 7 assists and 4 steals, one of which led to a game tying layup in the final minute. Wall is one of the toughest matchups the Knicks will have all season so it may be best to put Iman Shumpert on him next time. Porter was lights out in the first half and finished with 22 points while hitting 4 of 7 from downtown. Knicks had a tendency to lose him on the perimeter, and he made them pay.

Overall, the Knicks played well. Some surprise performances tonight, highlighted by Cole Aldrich, provided the Knicks the spark that they needed. Derek Fisher played Melo down the stretch, and Anthony showed no sign of fatigue after logging 34 minutes on the night.

Some Highlights:

• COLE ALDRICH! The big man got some major minutes in the first half and was rewarded with even more down the stretch. While his numbers weren’t all that impressive (6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks), he was +18 on the night. When he entered the game, the momentum of the game changed. I don’t know if it was all Aldrich, but at times it sure seemed like it! How does he impact the game without touching the ball? The big man BOXES OUT.
• Tim Hardaway Jr. had another solid shooting night in his first start of the preseason, going 5-11 including 2 three’s for 12 points. J.R. Smith took his minutes down the stretch as he seemed to be in control of the offense. While J.R. is clearly still trying to find his offense in this pass first offense, he has moments where he shows he could be a lethal distributor.
• Amar’e Stoudemire was effective. STAT was 5-8 for 13 points and 8 boards. It seemed like he made a shot whenever the Knicks were in a scoring lull.
• Iman Shumpert is becoming a more well-rounded basketball player. Although he only played 14 minutes tonight, the lock down defender is making all the right cuts and keeps the ball moving on offense. He was 3-5 from the floor tonight, and I would expect that to keep improving as he is getting much better shots this year.
• Pablo Prigioni had three HUGE three’s tonight. He also had his random steal and break away layup to spark a run. Prigioni still has some left in the tank!
• Melo shot a crisp 11-19 for a season high 30 points. That’s the kind of shooting we need out of our best player.

Some Low-lights:

• Samuel Dalembert and Jason Smith were -11 and -12, respectively. They seemed to be overmatched by Nene and Marcin Gortat to start the game, but the two ended up outplaying them as the game went on. However, when Aldrich replaced Dalembert, the game completely changed.
• The Knicks defense got torched on the perimeter. Washington shot 51.4% from the field, including 11-19 from beyond the arc. A defensive breakdown in the final minute almost cost them the game, but luckily Melo was there to bail them out. The Knicks need to work on not losing your man and seeing the ball and your man at all times.
• Quincy Acy didn’t play. After starting four games in a row, the Knicks power forward did not touch the floor tonight. All we know thus far was that it was a DNP Coach’s Decision. Hopefully he’s not hurt. I know he had a rough game Monday, but not enough to bench him for the game. Probably just rest.

The Knicks are now at 3-3 in the preseason. They wrap up their preseason this Friday in Toronto, and then begin preparing for the season opener against Chicago on 10/29. The Knicks made basketball fun again tonight. Let’s hope they can keep it going.