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

Chris Szagola/AP Photo

Carmelo Anthony neared a triple-double tonight and finished with a complete stat line. Anthony finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Anthony struggled a little bit from the field but he received a lot help on the offensive end from his teammates tonight as they picked him up. With Anthony on the court tonight the Knicks were +19, the second best on the team.

Stoudemire brings the offensive punch for the Knicks and Kenyon Martin brings the defensive intensity. Martin once again buoyed the Knicks in the middle and helped them not miss a beat in the third straight game without Tyson Chandler. Martin grabbed eight rebounds and scored eight points to keep his defender honest and to open things up for his teammates. He also had three assists as he makes great decisions from the top of the key, hitting Anthony routinely for alley-oops. He also added two blocks anchoring the Knicks defense.

Stoudemire was the leading scorer for the game but he was not the only Knick to give productive minutes off the bench. Toure’ Murry and Tim Hardaway Jr. the youthful energy they have lacked in the past combining for 15 points and have earned minutes once the regulars come back if they falter. The biggest performance off the bench may have come from J.R. Smith. Smith bounced back with a solid performance after a one game suspension, spearheading a Knicks passing attack with six assists. He also scored 14 points on 5-8 shooting from the field and had the highest +/- on the team with +20.

Chris Szagola/AP Photo

The Knicks were a well oiled machine on offense, assisting on 26 of their 39 made baskets. Raymond Felton led the team with seven as Anthony and Smith added six of their own. They also locked in defensively again after the first quarter. The 76ers scored 64 points the final three quarters and shot 46 percent for the game. The Knicks contested the three point line well tonight as well as the 76ers shot an unsightly 5-19 (26.3 percent).

-Negatives

The Knicks almost did it again. They came out flat again against a lower tiered team, falling behind by eight points by the end of the first quarter. The Knicks cannot afford to come out slow in any games after the poor start they had to the season; these are the games they need to come out strong in and take control from the beginning. They were able to get control by halftime but coming out flat like that against a team that doesn’t have top pick aspirations in the 2014 draft may end with a different result.

It is not necessarily a bad thing to have depth but Mike Woodson will have a lot of tough decisions to make in the coming days. Within the next week the Knicks will have virtually everyone on their roster and will have to find a way to get everyone minutes and comfortable with a role. Will Stoudemire and Martin watch their minutes dwindle with Chandler back in the picture? Will Murry find himself stapled to the bench once again when Prigioni comes back and Udrih not too far behind him? Woodson will have his hands full and how he manages the rotations will be imperative to the Knicks success.