New York Knicks Blog – Page 82 – NBA Blog

JR Smith jumper lifts Knicks over Bobcats

J.R. Smith is normally the guy watching Carmelo Anthony hit the game-winning shot, not the one knocking it down.

But with Anthony nursing a lacerated finger, the New York Knicks turned to Smith for the last shot and the eight-year NBA veteran delivered.

Smith hit a fallaway jumper from the left wing as time expired to give the Knicks a 100-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

”I was hurt, but J.R. made it feel better,” Anthony said.

Anthony scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half, but went cold in the second half and wasn’t on the floor for the final 2:10 after injuring his left hand diving into the Knicks’ bench for a loose ball…

Tyson Chandler had 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Knicks. Smith finished with 13 points.

Kemba Walker had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats (7-10), who have lost five straight games since equaling last season’s win total. Gerald Henderson scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter in his second game back after a 13-game layoff.

The Bobcats appeared in position to win late in the game after a miss by Raymond Felton with 14 seconds left, but rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made an ill-advised pass toward the top of the key and Smith stepped in front of it to intercept it.

After a timeout, Smith drove to the left side and hit an 18-footer over Kidd-Gilchrist.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Raymond Felton expects to play for Knicks Wednesday

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton will play on Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats despite suffering a bone bruise and contusion in his left hand.

“It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to play,” said Felton.

The Knicks are also optimistic that Jason Kidd (back spasms) will return from a four-game absence. Kidd says he’ll play against the Bobcats but might not start.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson called Kidd “probable” and wants to see how the 39-year-old feels on Wednesday morning, presumably after the morning shootaround in Charlotte.

“We’ll just have to play it by ear and see how he feels,” Woodson said. “It would be nice to have him back.”

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Raymond Felton has MRI on hand

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton underwent an MRI to determine the extent of a left hand injury he suffered late in the Knicks’ 106-99 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

“It’s swollen right now,” Felton said. “It’s a lot of pain, but we’ll see what happens.”

Felton said, if it were up to him, he’d play in the Knicks’ next game on Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats.

If Felton is forced to sit, the Knicks could have just one healthy point guard available against Charlotte.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Knicks beat Suns, stay perfect at home

Rasheed Wallace delivered a hard whack to Luis Scola, then some hard words to the referees.

These New York Knicks won’t let anybody have it easy at Madison Square Garden, not even the officials.

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and the Knicks ran their best home start in 20 years to 7-0, withstanding Wallace’s ejection after a mere 1:25 of playing time to beat the Phoenix Suns 106-99 on Sunday.

Phoenix had won its last two at MSG but the Knicks have finally figured out under coach Mike Woodson that home-court games are not to be wasted. They are 18-1 in the regular season here since he took over last March, jumping on their last few opponents from the start…

Raymond Felton had 23 points, seven assists and no turnovers for the Knicks, who last won seven straight at Madison Square Garden to open a season when they started 9-0 in 1992-93. The point guard was hurting after the game, saying he was going to get an MRI on his swollen left hand…

[Tyson] Chandler finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Knicks improved to 12-4 overall, a half-game behind Miami for the best record in the Eastern Conference. They got off to a good start in December after winning 11 in November for the first time since a 12-victory November in 1972 on the way to their last NBA championship…

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who dropped their third straight and fell to 1-4 on their season-high, six-game road trip that ends Tuesday in Memphis. Shannon Brown scored 17 points.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Marcus Camby out with sore left foot

Marcus Camby was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns shortly before tipoff due to a sore left foot.

Camby participated in a walk-through with the Knicks on Saturday, so it is unclear when the injury flared up. Mike Woodson said 90 minutes before tipoff he expected to have all of his players except Jason Kidd (lower back spasms) available.

Camby, 38, missed the entire preseason due to a calf injury and entered the season out of game shape. The veteran big man has played in just six of the Knicks’ 15 games. He has received DNP’s in the past two.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Amare Stoudemire may return around Christmas-time for Knicks

Amar’e Stoudemire’s goal is to return around Christmas, with mid-December no longer a legitimate possibility, according to person familiar with the Knicks power forward’s thinking. The person said Stoudemire hasn’t begun running on the court following his surgery on Nov. 1.

The Knicks’ timetable of six-to-eight weeks from the left-knee-debridement surgery hasn’t changed. Under that time frame, the earliest he could be back is mid-December. The Knicks play the Lakers on Christmas Day.

Stoudemire played just one preseason game — in Montreal Oct. 19 — and his litany of knee-related mishaps since training camp began calls into question whether he will ever be able to make it back onto the court without reinjuring himself.

Stoudemire has had surgeries on both knees, and has a bulging disk in his back that forced him to miss 15 games down the stretch last season.’

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Nets take first Brooklyn matchup with Knicks in overtime

The Nets won the crowd – and the game.

Things sure looked and sounded different for them in their first matchup against the New York Knicks in Brooklyn.

The Nets pulled out a 96-89 overtime victory on Monday night, tying the Knicks for first place on a breakthrough night for their franchise.

With their fans outnumbering and at times outchanting the Knicks’ counterparts for a change, the Nets improved to 7-1 in their new home, sending this new-look rivalry off to a stirring start before a sellout crowd of 17,732…

Jerry Stackhouse, wearing the No. 42 Jackie Robinson made famous in Brooklyn, hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:31 left in overtime as the Nets controlled the extra period of a playoff-like game that neither team led by more than seven.

Brook Lopez had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 16 points and 14 assists as the Nets tied the Knicks atop the Atlantic Division at 9-4.

Carmelo Anthony had 35 points and 13 rebounds, but was only 10 of 16 at the free throw line. Tyson Chandler finished with 28 points and 10 boards, but no other Knicks player was in double figures.

Raymond Felton was just 3 of 19 from the field, but the Knicks had to stick with him with fellow point guard and former Nets star Jason Kidd out with back spasms.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Knicks play Nets in Brooklyn tonight

From Madison Square Garden to the Garden State, the Knicks cast a shadow the Nets could never escape.

The Knicks were considered first rate and the Nets second class, even in years when the better team was in New Jersey. The Nets would watch fans in orange and blue take over their home games, believing all along things would be different when they finally got their shot at the Knicks in Brooklyn.

Well, here it comes.

The city rivals play the makeup of their postponed season opener on Monday, a matchup the Knicks insist is just another game but one that’s probably much bigger to the Nets.

”I think obviously being on center stage tomorrow night, all eyes on Brooklyn, truly makes this a very special night for us because it’s something that we worked for, for so long,” Nets CEO Brett Yormark said Sunday. ”Even though it’s not opening night, it’s a dramatic night. I mean, the Knicks are playing well, the Nets are playing well, Brooklyn’s certainly embraced this franchise, and I think tomorrow night is hopefully the start of some really special nights between the Nets and the Knicks.

”Yeah, I’d love to win the game, but it’s more than that. It’s about making a statement that this franchise has arrived and we are certainly part of the conversation when people are talking about pro basketball in New York.”

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Knicks go wild from outside, beat Pistons

With the Linsanity disaster behind them, the Knicks came back home and took it out on the Pistons today. They cruised to a 121-100 victory behind Carmelo Anthony’s 29 points in 31 minutes and they got back to playing ramped-up defense in a Garden matinee, breaking a two-game losing streak.

The Knicks moved to 9-3 and stayed unbeaten at home at 5-0. The win sets the stage for tomorrow’s historic, first-ever showdown vs. the Nets in their new locale in Brooklyn – a makeup game of the postponed season opener.

Today’s victory temporarily erased the stench of their 131-103 disgrace at the hands of Jeremy Lin’s Rockets in Houston. During their two-game losing streak that included a defeat in Dallas, the Knicks had allowed 245 points. All their losses have come on the road – the third one being in Memphis.

Melo shot 10 of 18, made all five of his free throws and had 3 assists. He also mostly refrained from arguing with the officials and sizzled with his jumper, making 4 of 5 3-pointers. He didn’t play the fourth quarter.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Raymond Felton points out he has way more experience than Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin’s magical, memorable run last season led to more attention and money than anyone could have imagined, and may have caused some resentment among his old

Knicks teammates. Even some who didn’t play with him have grown tired of hearing about Lin.

Raymond Felton, who replaced Lin after the Knicks opted not to match the Rockets’ three-year, $25.1-million offer, thinks it’s ridiculous to compare the two of them.

But that point-guard matchup will be front and center Friday night when the Knicks play the Rockets.

“I’ve been in this league eight years,” Felton said. “He’s been in this league half of a year, coming into a year now. I definitely can’t see how nobody can compare me

and him together. I’ve been in this league way longer, got much more of a body of work.”

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday