Knicks Stung by Kemba Walker’s 34 Points, Lose in Carmelo Anthony’s Return

By William Lee | Apr 7, 2016

Apr 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker (15) drives against New York Knicks shooting guard Langston Galloway (2) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

97. 27. 111. 170. Final

Superstar Carmelo Anthony returned to the New York Knicks starting lineup Wednesday night. Unfortunately New York continued to play without Kristaps Porzingis, Jose Calderon, and Lance Thomas.

However, the Charlotte Hornets were also missing a key player of their own in Nicolas Batum. Although Charlotte did not skip a beat, as their floor general Kemba Walker torched the Knicks right away with ten straight points early in the opening period. Walker scored 13 points in the first quarter, going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc (remember when the Knicks were actually good at defending the three-pointer early in the season… yeahhh… me either…).

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The Hornets led by as many as 11 points in the opening quarter, but the Knicks finished the period strong, going on a 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 30-25 after one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, Anthony and Derrick Williams combined to score 16 in the period to get the Knicks to within one possession at halftime. Both forwards played well Wednesday night, and a beautiful no-look pass from Anthony to Williams for a wide-open dunk was indicative of what the pair were doing all-night.

But the highlight of the first half was Williams’ buzz-beating three-pointer to end the half. Williams did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 13 and grabbing seven rebounds by intermission. Williams finished the game with his fourth double-double of the season, with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

REPLAY: @DWXXIII nets the triple from the corner to beat the buzzer at the half! #NYKvsCHA pic.twitter.com/rYiwlKBXD0
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 7, 2016

New York got within one-possession multiple times in the third quarter behind the efforts of Jerian Grant, who seems a lot more confident in a starters role. Grant scored nine of his game-total 14 points in the period, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.

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Despite Calderon being sidelined, Grant is only playing mid-20 minutes a game, it would be interesting to see what Grant can do unleashed. See what Grant is capable of, playing 35-40 minutes. The season is essentially over, might as well see if Grant can play. In the process, help management figure out is he apart of the future or should he be dealt.

Even with Grant’s stellar play- New York would once again find themselves in an 11-point deficit as Charlotte went on a 12-3 run late in the third quarter to lead 81-70 with a minute remaining in the period. Walker once again torched the Knicks from the outside, connecting on another three three-pointers in the third quarter… Apparently New York thought it was a wise strategy to continue going UNDER screens… despite his hot-shooting…

The Hornets entered the final period with all the momentum, and Al Jefferson continued that, scoring ten straight points to give Charlotte a 91-76 early in the fourth quarter. Jefferson finished the game with 24 points and eight rebounds.

The game looked to be over, and tempers flared. Robin Lopez caught an elbow from Jefferson, but was the one called for the foul… he did not take kindly to the call and got ejected from the game.

Lopez’s ejection got the Knicks a little fired up, staging a mini-comeback with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 102-95 with just under two minutes remaining in the game.

But Walker was just too much for the Knicks to handle, as he responded with his SEVENTH three-pointer of the game, and then slither to the lane for a three-point play that pushed the Hornets’ lead back up to double-digits.

Walker finished with a game-high 34 points as Charlotte won 111-97 Wednesday night.

Anthony had another poor-shooting night, going 5-for-14 from the field for 15 points. However, Melo did continue to pass well, adding another seven assists to his season’s total. Anthony has already surpassed his career high in assists for a single season this year, and will crush the previous 259 total assists by leaps and bounds this season.

Next: Knicks May Promote Kurt Rambis to Full-Time Position

New York will look to snap their two-game losing streak Friday night against forever tanking Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks should win this ball game… but a loss to the 76ers might be a fitting way to top off a season of disappointment…

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