Knicks Knock Off 76ers for 4th Straight Win

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Saturday, January 12^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to keep up the solid play by picking up a victory in Philadelphia Saturday night, winning 102-92. The Knicks put forth yet another great team effort as they were able to pick up their fourth straight win. The Knicks came out lackluster in the first quarter, ending the period down 28-20 but were able to pick it up in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 52-40 lead. They extended the lead to 16 going into the fourth quarter but were able to keep the 76ers at bay in the final quarter to take home the win. The Knicks will look to continue their strong play Monday night as the surprise team of the NBA thus far, the Phoenix Suns, come to Madison Square Garden for their lone visit of the season Monday night.

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

Chris Szagola/AP Photo

Stoudemire is beginning to look like the STAT of old recently as he dominated the offensive side of the ball once again. Stoudemire made his first eight shots of the game and finished the night with 21 points on 8-10 from the field (5-5 FT) and five rebounds in only 22 minutes. With more consistent practice time and minutes in the game Stoudemire has begun to flourish once again and give the Knicks a nice boost off the bench. Stoudemire is by far the Knicks most efficient scorer when given the opportunity and is an asset to the Knicks going forward if he can continue playing like this offensively.

-Positives

Nets Knock off Miami Heat in Double-Overtime

msn.foxsports.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

January 10th, 2014

Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Heat 95 Nets 104

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pull off a double overtime win over the defending champions on Friday night to keep their winning streak alive. The Nets riding a five-game winning streak now are just three games back of the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division, with a (15-21) record.

Positives-

Shooting Guard Joe Johnson once again had a great game in the absence of Deron Williams, who is still out with an ankle injury, and there is no real timetable for his return. Johnson scored a team-high 32 points on 14 for 25 shooting, which included him going four for six from three-point land. In his 46 minutes Johnson also added four rebounds and five assists to his great night.

Knicks Knock Off Defending Champion Heat

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Thursday, January 9^th, 2014

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks look to finally be getting back on track as they pulled off an impressive victory against the Miami Heat Thursday, winning 102-92. This is the biggest win of the season for the Knicks as they were able to knock off the reigning champs in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks roster has been dealing with the flu bug as only four players were healthy enough to practice yesterday but the whole team came out ready to play today. With the victory the Knicks have won three in a row and four of their last five in the regular season against the Heat. They will look to continue their winning streak Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 PM ET in Philadelphia.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

Jim McIsaac

Against his biggest rival and good friend LeBron James, Anthony showed up once again to help the Knicks get a huge win tonight. Anthony matched up with James throughout the night and was able to limit him because of the great team effort that was put forth by everyone on the court. James was forced into six turnovers as the Knicks made life as difficult as they could for him throughout the night. Anthony led the Knicks with 29 points (12-24 FG, 3-8 3pt, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Anthony’s efficiency on the offensive end is important when the Knicks play tougher opponents like the Heat and he did a good job getting into great positions to score tonight.

-Positives

Knicks Hold On Despite 4th Quarter Struggles

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, January 7^th, 2014

Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks did not make it easy on themselves but they were able to knock off the Pistons at MadisonSquare Garden 89-85 Tuesday night, ending their four game home losing streak in the process. The Knicks led by 15 to start the fourth quarter and allowed the Pistons to come all the way back but were able to hold them off for the win. The win tonight marks only the second time this season the Knicks have put together consecutive wins; the first came December 5^th and 6^th against the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic.  The Knicks will take the victory, albeit it ugly, as the Knicks will face some of their stiffest competition Thursday in the defending champion Miami Heat.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

Jim McIsaac

If not for Anthony the result of the game tonight easily could have been in the Pistons favor. Anthony would not let it happen as he willed the Knicks to a win tonight with a game high 34 points. Anthony shot the ball efficiently, shooting 13-24 overall from the field, including a scorching 6-7 from behind the three-point line. Anthony was the catalyst in the third quarter to get the Knicks in control of the game as he nailed three straight three pointers in the middle of a 15-0 Knicks run. He added a fast break dunk to punctuate the run. Anthony helped the Knicks ice the game playing outstanding one-on-one defense against Josh Smith on the Pistons last offensive possession and grabbed the offensive rebound off Raymond Felton’s missed free throw with seven seconds left. He added four rebounds, two assists, four steals and one block on the night to round out his stat line.

-Positives

Nets Defeat Hawks Without Deron Williams

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

January 6th, 2014

Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap 

Final Score: Hawks 86 Nets 91

The Brooklyn Nets for the second time this season are on a three-game winning streak, as on Monday night they were able to beat one of the few Eastern Conference teams over .500 in the Atlanta Hawks. The win moves the Nets to (13-21) on the season, which puts them four games back of the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Positives:

- With Deron Williams missing his 12th game of the season due to his lingering ankle injury, Shaun Livingston stepped into the starting Point Guard role, and came through with a very nice game. Livingston played 34 minutes, scoring 12 points on six for 11 shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds, and had three steals in route to being +15 for the game.

W2W4: Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets 1/6

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

January 6th, 2014

W2W4: Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets 

The Brooklyn Nets riding a two-game winning streak will be at home yet again looking to pick up a win over the Atlanta Hawks, who are one of the few teams above .500 in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn now sits at (12-21) on the season, and are gaining some ground on the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

- Deron’s Ankle

Quite possibility the deciding factor in this game will be the healthy of Nets Point Guard Deron Williams, who is a game-time call with a sore ankle. Williams missed the morning shoot around, and it is the left ankle that is giving him troubles, which has to be a bit concerning for Brooklyn. If Williams can’t go it would be a huge blow to Brooklyn, as he has been playing very well on the Nets two-game winning streak, averaging 25 points on 63% shooting.

Knicks Drop Mavericks for Winning Road Trip

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, January 5^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to surprise many people by winning in Dallas Sunday night, giving them a 2-1 finish to the Texas Triangle road trip. It was a pretty decisive victory for the Knicks, who won the game 92-80. They were able to overcome some demons in the process as they had lost 14 of their previous 16 games in Dallas. It was a total team effort from the Knicks tonight as they picked each other up to make the plane ride back to New York much more pleasant. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks can ride the momentum from this successful road trip and put together a winning streak to get them back into the Atlantic Division race.

-Player of the Game: Kenyon Martin

Sharon Ellman

Coming into the game Martin was a game-time decision because of an ankle injury. When it was announced that Tyson Chandler would not be able to return after only four minutes with an upper respiratory infection, Martin got a big increase in minutes and responded well.

Martin stepped up for his teammates, playing 29 minutes off the bench even with the hobbled ankle. He scored a season-high 14 points on 7-8 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, handed out two assists and added one block to the normal intimidating defense he provides. “I knew Tyson wasn’t feeling the best. I might pay for it tomorrow but I’ll take the win anytime,” Martin said following the game. That type of will to win and dedication to the team is something the Knicks have seemed to lack at times this season. It is refreshing to see Martin putting it all on the line for the team to get this thing turned around.

-Match Up of the Game Review: Andrea Bargnani vs. Dirk Nowitzki

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks; January 5th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, January 5^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks will look to salvage the last game of the Texas Triangle road trip Sunday in Dallas. If not for poor decision making Friday night against the Rockets the Knicks would be going for a sweep. The Mavericks, just like the Knicks, are coming off a tough loss Friday night and will look to bounce back tonight with a strong performance to get their home stand back on track. Here are some things to watch for tonight when they tip-off.

-Players News and Notes