The New York Knicks defeated the Phoenix Suns by a final score of 102-84. The game was not close. Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks led the way with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Devin Booker of the Suns finished with a team-high 21 points and three assists. With the win, the Knicks are now 1.5 games back of Indiana for the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference.
It was tough not to be excited about this game at the start. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis were returning from injury, Tyson Chandler was returning home to Madison Square Garden as a Knicks (forever a fan favorite of mine) and the Suns, now turning to their younger players in a losing season, played some of the younger guys, like rookie Devin Booker, Archie Goodwin, and Alex Len.
But man, did this game get out of hand fast.
94 feet. Zero dribbles pic.twitter.com/xBb2B6S16K
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) January 30, 2016
The Knicks were active on defense right away and blew the Suns’ offense up. Part of this was because Archie Goodwin – a combo guard on his best nights – was playing point guard, but Langston Galloway and Arron Afflalo were playing well and creating havoc in the passing lanes. The Knicks finished with 12 steals in the game, but a good seven or eight of them were created early in the first, pushing New York’s lead to double digits midway through the first quarter.
Overall, I thought New York’s defense was good and didn’t let up. Even as the Knicks moved to the bench, guys like Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson kept up the defensive intensity. Kyle O’Quinn and Jerian Grant joined the fray and made sure the Knicks defense played well. The offense got into a malaise after they pushed the lead up to 20, but I thought the defense played really well. Yes, it was the Suns, but nice to see that effort.
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Offensively, the Knicks were great, moving the ball. Carmelo did a good job of orchestrating the offense, even overpassing at some points. The Suns stuck P.J. Tucker on him, and even though it bothered him early, Anthony turned around and began to make passes out of the triple threat and it led to some good shots. Not all of them were makes, but they were quality shots.
And…this…
While it seems like Derek Fisher can never get credit for any New York positives, I think one thing he should get credit for is how he uses Derrick Williams. He uses him like a football team would use a pass rushing specialist on third down or a baseball team would use a good relief pitcher. He comes in, gets his offensive touches, gets his free throws and provides energy on the glass. Didn’t need it tonight, but Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Once Sasha Vujacic hit a buzzer-beating three-ball to close the first half, the game was over. There are other, smaller moments, but the Knicks looked to be in control throughout and snapped their four-game losing streak.
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Game Notes
Carmelo Anthony was awesome tonight. He did a bit of everything – moving the ball, getting active on the glass and he put the ball in the basket. A barometer of nothing, but getting seven free throws, 10 rebounds, and four steals in 30 minutes suggests that Melo was active from the opening tip. As a result, this was one of Melo’s best overall performances.
After Carmelo, Langston Galloway had the best game. 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and block. From the outset, Galloway was playing great defense on Archie Goodwin – denying him the ball, forcing him to shoot, filtering him to a waiting Porzingis at the rim. It was great. Without Calderon, Galloway did a good job of playing off the ball, allowing Melo to facilitate.
Kristaps Porzingis didn’t play well overall, but he was good on defense, and that’s always a good thing to see. Kristaps was contesting any and every shot he can while still doing the little things (three assists, two steals). Other than that monster dunk I showed earlier, Porzingis didn’t shine on O, but he had a solid game.
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Jerian Grant didn’t do anything of notice, but he played 21 minutes! I’m going to write about it, but Grant should be playing a bit more with the starters. Him playing 21 minutes was by proxy of Jose Calderon not playing, but still, hopefully, it’s a move in the right direction.