New York Knicks: Keys To Defeating The Houston Rockets

4. Carmelo Anthony

The New York Knicks need to run a balanced and team-oriented offensive attack against the Houston Rockets. No one player is going to defeat a team with as many weapons as the Rockets, especially not when James Harden is running the show.

If the Knicks are going to overcome the Rockets, however, they’ll need Carmelo Anthony to be able to match Harden with a star-caliber performance of his own.

Anthony posted 26 points and 13 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans, but he did so on 9-of-22 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 shooting from distance. He’ll need to maintain elite production and improve his efficiency in Houston.

Most importantly, Anthony must be equally as effective as a decoy as he is a scorer, which means limiting plays in isolation.

Houston can put points up in a hurry, which New York has already learned in 2016-17. Thus, in order for the Knicks to put up enough of a fight to secure a victory over the Rockets, Anthony will need to know when to shoot and when to defer.

That’s a tedious task for a player who’s surrounded by new faces, but this is the stage of the season at which New York should be showing signs of progress.