NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – The New York Knicks (23-29) have not won a game this season that Carmelo Anthony has not started. New York looked to change that Friday night, when the Memphis Grizzlies (29-20) came into town.
Anthony was forced to sit out due to a sore left knee, and would miss his seventh game of the season. The Knicks have really struggled to score in games without Anthony on the floor, especially late in games. In the six games without Anthony this season, New York has only scored over 100 points in two of those games. The Knicks hold a 5-24 record when they score fewer than 100 points.
Friday night, the Knicks did their best to keep up with Memphis. Jose Calderon played really well for New York, and looked more aggressive offensively than he has all season. “Tonight he felt much better, and performed a lot better and he gave us a chance to win the game” said Coach Derek Fisher in his post-game press conference. Calderon had missed four games due to a sore right groan, but came back against the Detroit Pistons Feb.4. Calderon finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Coach Fisher said that when you play Memphis, you have to rebound and limit the turnovers. New York did its job on the glass by out-rebounding the Grizzlies, 47-37. Kristaps Porzingis and Robin Lopez both had ten rebounds, and led the way on the boards for New York.
However, Memphis put great defensive pressure on New York all night long, and as a team recorded eight steals. Down the stretch it proved to be too much to handle without Anthony, as New York lost 91-85. The Grizzlies held the Knicks to shooting just 37% (30-80 FGM-A) from the field.
Jeff Green led the way for Memphis with 16 points and five rebounds. Both Green and Matt Barnes (12 points, seven rebounds) led the Grizzlies in scoring coming off the bench. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each added 10 points for Memphis.
Porzingis recorded his 17th double-double of the season with 17 points (6-12 FGM-A), and also added six blocks. The rookie Porzingis has finished with six blocks in a game one other time this season (Nov.11 @ Orlando Magic). Lopez was one point shy of a double-double with nine points.
The Knicks had pulled to within two points (87-85) when Aaron Afflalo hit a three pointer with :37 seconds remaining in the game. However that would be the last time New York would score in the game, as Afflalo missed his next two shots. Afflalo finished with 14 points on 4 of 15 shooting from the field, and has struggled shooting the ball of late. In Afflalo’s last 10 games, he has shot just 37% from the field.
The Knicks lack a second “go-to” scorer aside from Anthony. Afflalo has shown that he isn’t the bonafied #2 option in New York. There have been a couple late game opportunities where Afflalo hasn’t been able to deliver. Derrick Williams has shown at times he can be a prolific scorer, but his bench production has been erratic all year. Someone needs to show up in the clutch for the Knicks other than Anthony at some point this season.
The Knicks will look to rebound back against the Denver Nuggets (20-31) Sunday afternoon in the Garden.
Stats Of The Game:
- The Knicks only had five fast break points Friday night.
- Langston Galloway had four points (2-10 FGM-A) in 33 minutes.
- Vince Carter scored nine points off the bench, and also got into a strange situation with a fan. The fan falsely accused Carter of hitting him with an elbow while going out of bounds, and was later ejected.
- Mario Chalmers was ejected after elbowing Sasha Vujacic while tangled up on a loose ball.
Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732