It has been difficult for Derek Fisher’s New York Knicks to find continuity this season, resulting in several rough stretches of defeats. But Monday night, against a playoff-contending Western Conference foe, New York used an eclectic mix of old and new to get a much-needed victory.
The Knicks grabbed the lead early on a Carmelo Anthony jumper at the 9:15 mark of the first quarter, and never looked back, holding the advantage all the way through a 99-92 victory to snap a 16-game losing skid. Afterward, D-Fish lauded the effort of his team to start and finish strong on the way to a big win over a competitive opponent.
“The guys kept playing and trusting each other,” Fish said. “They just continued to make plays, even as the Pelicans fought back into the game. They continued to rely on each other out there on the floor, and that was great to see.”
Anthony led the way to victory for the Knicks with a game-high 24 points and near double-double as he pulled down nine rebounds to go along with three assists, two blocks and a steal. Melo has once again been a standout for New York this year when healthy, averaging nearly 24 points per game. However, various health issues have left him watching from the sidelines in a suit 10 times already this season. Monday’s game marked just his second time back in the lineup since missing six games due to a knee injury that may eventually force Anthony to shut it down for the season.
After the win, Derek noted that the time to rest may have been beneficial for Melo not only physically, but mentally as he sat for nearly two weeks and took the time to watch how the team executed from a different point of view, which may have led directly to his all-around excellent performance against New Orleans.
“From my experience as a player and what I’ve observed of other teammates in the past—Kobe in particular—situations where star players miss multiple games, because they’re so talented and the way they see the game, things just open up to them that maybe they didn’t realize were there when they were out there,” Derek said of Anthony’s time out. “There was a different look in (Anthony’s) eye for those two weeks, and as every day went by you saw him get more and more excited about what he and we could do.”
While New York got plenty of contributions from its tried and true star Anthony, his performance was complemented by a newcomer, rookie Langston Galloway.
While Carmelo, Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and Cleanthony Early all missing time due to injury and J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert sent out in a trade, Coach Fisher has had no choice but to experiment with a vast variety of lineups laced with inexperienced youngsters before the cavalry returned.
During that time, several young players put themselves on Derek’s radar, but no newcomer has shined brighter than Galloway.
Galloway was on Derek’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas and played with the Knicks in the preseason before being assigned to the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Developmental League. But after the trade that sent Smith and Shumpert packing, Galloway got the call up to the big squad.
He was so solid as a reserve that after the team returned from a long trip to London, Fish opted to insert Galloway into the starting lineup on Monday and the rookie responded with his best game as a pro as he poured in 21 points on 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, grabbed five rebounds and dished three assists in 30 minutes of game action.
Afterward, Coach Fisher praised the poise and attitude of the youngster out of Saint Joseph’s.
“He’s not afraid of the moment and that’s what makes him special as a young player that’s aspiring to get into this league and stay in it,” Derek said. “He’s not afraid to go get it and that’s the way you have to be out there.”
Faith in players like Galloway has been a trademark of Derek’s first year as a coach, despite the adversity his team has faced. Through 16 straight losses, Derek never lost faith in his group and didn’t waste time counting his team’s defeats. He only focused forward, as he told reporters after Monday night’s triumph.
“It’s not what I’ve gone through personally…it’s about these guys, these players,” Coach Fish explained. “If I want them to be optimistic and focused and driven and relentless in our pursuit for excellence, then I have to be that way as well. It doesn’t matter what the results were yesterday, we can only control what happens today—and that’s what we did.”
Fresh off their return from a week overseas, preparing for and then playing a game in London, the Knicks came out with some pep in their step from the opening tip.
Led by Eric Gordon, who hit an early three and a pair of free throws early, the Pelicans jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead. But Anthony responded with four quick points to make it 6-5 and New York held the lead from that point on. Melo went off for 12 of his 24 points in the first, including a pair of threes and the Knicks came through with a clean quarter, win which they turned the ball over just twice, to hold a 22-16 lead after one.
That opening frame set the tone for a fantastic game by New York, as they totaled just four turnovers on the night.
After Anthony starred in the opening frame, it was Galloway’s turn in the second. The rookie went 3-of-3 from deep and totaled 11 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench and followed suit, splashing two threes on three attempts for six of his 11 points on the night.
The only reserve who scored more than Hardaway at Madison Square Garden on Monday was another star returning from an injury related absence, Amar’e Stoudemire. The Knicks big man had missed 12 of New York’s previous 13 games, but looked strong in 21 minutes against New Orleans and finished with 14 points and six boards.
Up 24-21 in the second, that bench duo went to work. Hardaway took his dribble inside where he jumped into a wall of defenders. Rather than taking an unorthodox shot, Hardaway slid the ball to Stoudemire, who jammed it home to give New York a five-point lead. That slam kicked off a 9-2 run that pushed the Knicks lead to double digits.
The Knicks continued to fire on all cylinders throughout the quarter, and held a double-digit advantage for most of the frame. Galloway, Hardaway and Amar’e combined for 23 points in the second and the Knicks shot 65 percent, including 5-of-6 from three in the frame. They also converted nine points off four NOLA turnovers.
With less than a minute left, Galloway hit back-to-back treys to push the lead all the way up to 15. Tyreke Evans responded with a three to cut into the lead, but at halftime New York held a commanding 53-41 advantage.
After going scoreless in limited action in the third as the reserve group led the charge, Anthony took the reins once again in the third, where scored seven points to pace the Knicks, who shot 47.4 percent and didn’t log a single turnover to add yet another point to their cushion for the fourth, as they headed to the final frame in total control, leading 78-65.
But a New Orleans squad that currently sits on the fringe of the ultra-competitive Western Conference playoff race wasn’t about to roll over for New York. Early in the fourth, the Pelicans went to work cutting into that 13-point lead. Ryan Anderson hit from beyond the arc to open the final frame, and later canned another three to cap a 13-6 run and prompt Fish to call a timeout with 7:57 to go and his team suddenly clinging to just a six-point lead..
The timeout was well placed, as the Knicks regrouped offensively and went shot-for-shot with New Orleans over the middle stretch of the fourth before the official timeout at the 4:35 mark. That break allowed New York to regroup defensively.
They managed to get the lead back to nine midway through the frame, but the Pelicans kept coming. When Tyreke Evans connected on a runner with 1:56 remaining, it brought New Orleans as close as they could and would get, down just one, 93-92.
An offensive foul on Anthony on the subsequent possession gave the Pelicans a chance to take the lead, but the Knicks got a desperately needed stop on a missed shot by Gordon. However, New Orleans got the rebound and moved it to get Anderson a look at a three. When that also missed, Anthony grabbed the rebound and called a timeout.
Moments later, New York got what was perhaps a game-saving play came from an unlikely source: Lou Amundson, a 10-day contract player who got the start for the Knicks at center.
With less than a minute to go, Galloway had the ball in a tight spot and needed to maintain possession to give the Knicks a chance to extended their lead. When he lost control of it, the ball bounced off of his foot, but Amundson quickly snagged the free ball and drew a foul.
Ten seconds later, Melo found Jose Calderon in the corner for a wide-open three that sealed the deal for the Knicks, who then closed out the game with three free throws from Anthony to put an official end to their franchise-worst skid.
After the game, Derek noted the pivotal plays made by Galloway and Amundson, explaining exactly what a 10-day player can bring to a team—if they bring a winning mentality.
“Every guy that touched the floor gave us something. I thought that the three guys who are on 10-day contracts showed how impactful you can be on a team, even in a short period of time when you bring the right attitude to work every day,” Fisher said. “Leadership examples can come in all different packages, whether it’s franchise guys or young players or 10-day guys, etc. There’s just a feeling you get on the team. You can feel positive energy, professional mindset taking place.”
That mindset is one the Knicks would like to keep in place as they approach the second half of the 2014-15 season. Both Amundson and forward Lance Thomas were bought out after the Knicks acquired them in the three-team Smith/Shumpert trade earlier this month, then signed to 10-day contracts that were scheduled to expire on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Derek was asked after the game whether he believes the players should be retained and made it clear he did not have the final say in the matter, but that he liked what he saw.
“I cast my vote,” he said. “I will leave it at that.”
On Tuesday, the Knicks announced the signing of Amundson to a second 10-day deal and on Wednesday they did the same for Thomas.
NEXT UP
Looking to win two in a row for the second time this year, the Knicks (6-36) will head out on the road to Philadelphia where they’ll face off with the 76ers (8-33) on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Though the Knicks have an opportunity to improve their standing significantly in the next few games against low-level opponents, Coach Fisher is approaching the games like any other. He has worked on keeping an even keel all year long, and that will continue, even with his squad coming off a big, skid-snapping victory.
“Sometimes, when you win, you allow yourself to feel good and pleasant and happy, and you go out and get your butt kicked the next night,” Derek said. “So you just have to be able to remain in a pretty focused place regardless of what happened the night before.”
The Sixers have traversed as rough a road as the Knicks this season, but they’ve experienced an uptick recently, including posting four of their eight wins in their most recent seven-game span.
Tipoff of Wednesday’s game in Philly is set for 7 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on MSG.