Raptors Ross Has Historic Night with His 51 Points, Knicks Seek Home Win vs. the Lakers

While the Los Angeles Clippers (31-15) defeated the Toronto Raptors (22-21) 126-118 on Saturday, Terrence Ross still had a winning night as he tied a franchise record for scoring and saw his production increase almost two fold.

Terrence Ross

Ross scored 51 points for the night, tying the record held by Vince Carter. Part of this sum came from 10 3-pointers, which represented the second-highest made for 3’s for a 50-point game in league history, according to ESPN research. In addition to the 3-pointers, Ross went 16 of 29 in field goals and 9 of 10 in free throws. He fell short of hitting 52 points when he missed a foul shot with four seconds remaining in the game.

What’s interesting about Ross’ 51 points, is he started the game with a 9.3 point average per game. He is the first player in league history to have a 50-point game from an average of less than 10 points per game in a season. Ross has also gone three weeks this season failing to score a combined 51 points. He has scored fewer points to date than the Clippers’ J.J. Redick even while playing 18 more games than this previously injured player.

After Saturday’s game, Ross’ scoring average has now been lifted to a 10.2 points.

The player said of the game via the Associated Press, “You don’t really realize what you’re doing until it’s all over.”

Meanwhile, the Clippers Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 37 points on Saturday and tied a season best with his 11 assists. Crawford is also a member of the 50-point club, achieving this with 52 points against the Miami Heat in January 2007.

The Raptors remain atop the Atlantic division and on Monday, they’ll play the second-place Brooklyn Nets (19-22). The Raptors sit at 75/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.

Knicks vs. the Lakers

On Sunday, the New York Knicks (16-27) will host the Los Angeles Lakers (16-28) and many will have their eyes on Carmelo Anthony, who is coming off a 62-point performance in Friday’s 125-96 win against the Charlotte Bobcats (19-27).

Carmelo Anthony

How many points will he score against a struggling, injured Lakers team? Anthony will likely have his eyes on the record set by the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant: the most points over two games at Madison Square Garden. He’ll just need 39 points to surpass the record set on Feb. 2, 2009.

Anthony, the NBA’s second-highest scorer, has averaged 29.5 points this season as he has shot 53.7 percent overall. He is 12 for 28 in 3-pointers over his six previous games against the the Lakers since going back to his playing days with the Denver Nuggets (21-21).

Sunday’s matchup could provide some opportunity for another great Anthony game as the Lakers sit as the NBA-worst for points allowed in a game (113.2 points). They have also lost their last nine of 12 games.

Fortunately for Anthony, Bryant won’t be on the court Sunday to take back his record at the Garden. Instead, he’ll join teammates Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry, and Steve Nash on the bench.

In their last two matchups at the Garden, the Knicks have won. They’ll make it a third win (-5, 207 o/u).

Along with his scoring prowess dominating headlines, Anthony is also the topic of conversation as the question has been posed where he’ll be playing next season. He’s been vocal about his frustrations with the Knicks this season and he’s reportedly now mulling his options closely as a possible free agent in the summer.

On Saturday, Yahoo’s  Adrian Wojnarowski wrote after speaking with an anonymous source, “Only now, the gloom of the Knicks’ season – the uncertainty of the franchise’s future – left that man to believe it’s possible Anthony could leave New York in free agency. Chicago is much more in play for him than L.A.,” the source said.”

Imagine a 2015 Anthony/Derrick Rose pairing. But for now, the Knicks sit at 66/1 while the Chicago Bulls (22-21) are 50/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.