Rotten Night for the Big Apple: Golden State Routs the Knicks, 76ers Defeat the Nets
The New York Knicks (38-23) kicked off their five-game road trip on Monday but left its offense back home. In a 92-63 loss to the Golden State Warriors (36-29), the Knicks suffered their lowest scoring game of the season and according to their opponents, it was the lowest shooting percentage for an NBA team this season.
For the Warriors, it was their most uneven win this season and their greatest defensive one since Dec. 28, 1953 when the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Milwaukee Hawks 69-63, reported ESPN.
So what happened?
Ending a two-game losing streak, Stephen Curry again owned the Knicks and scored 26 points. David Lee added 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. With this type of play, the Warrriors had a 27-point lead by the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, the Knicks only scored nine points.
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony
Unfortunately, leading scorer Carmelo Anthony did not show up. After dealing with knee problems last week and missing three games, Anthony returned on Monday but after his 2 for 10 start, he only had 14 points for the game but he was the team’s leading scorer. The player after the game said his knee still felt irritated but was not causing pain.
Raymond Felton added 10 points with five rebounds and four assists.
The Knicks will rest on Tuesday but then play the Denver Nuggets (43-22) on Wednesday. They sit at top of the Atlantic Division and in the second spot for the Eastern Conference, nine games behind the Miami Heat.
How will they do in the postseason? They are +2000 to win the NBA Championship this year.
Nets Lose to 76ers, 106-97
Right behind the Knicks in the division is its neighbor, the Brooklyn Nets (37-27). This other New York team had an equally bad Monday night as they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers (24-39), 106-97. With the win, the 76ers ended a five-game losing streak and saw their second win in 14 games.
Spencer Hawes had a season-high 24 points with 10 rebounds while Jrue Holiday added 15 points with 11 assists. Contributing to the win was Evan Turner with 16 points; Dorell Wright added 10.
The Nets went 11 for 16 free throws and only shot 31 percent (6 for 19) in 3-pointers.
One bright spot was Deron Williams with his team-leading 27 points, 13 assists and six rebounds. The player has now surpassed 10,000 career points.
Nets guard Deron Williams
Williams said of the achievement via ESPN, “It’s just another number. I’m more worried about the loss than the record or anything like that.”
Joe Johnson added 20 points and Brook Lopez contributed 19.
The Nets will quickly need to regroup as they’ll host the New Orleans Hornets (22-42) on Tuesday. They now sit 2.5 games behind the Knicks and fourth in the Eastern Conference. A Tuesday win would be a good thing before starting an eight-game road tour.
In their last meeting on Feb. 26, the Nets defeated the Hornets 101-97 thanks to an end of game scoring flurry by Williams.
They’ll look for the player to again show up as he is averaging 25.1 points over his last eight games and hitting 50.0 percent for attempts beyond the arc.
The Hornets have less expectations for the game as they look for a third win on over 11 games when on the read. They’ll enter Tuesday’s game with some confidence after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, 98-96, ending a three-game losing streak.
Ryan Anderson had a good game, scoring 20 points with 13 rebounds. He is the team’s leading scorer but in last month’s game against the Nets he only had 13 points.
Anthony Davis only added six points with four rebounds in that game but since recovering from a sore shoulder, he’s been averaging 17.0 points with 12.3 rebounds over four games.
But it may not be good enough on Tuesday as the Nets get the win (-5.5, 187 o/u).
