By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)
Friday, February 7th, 2014
Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks
Post Game Recap
The Knicks were able to ride the momentum from their tough game Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers and turn it into a blowout victory over the Nuggets by a score of 117-90. Every Knick had the knack tonight as Walt 'Clyde' Frazier would say, as every player finished with a positive +/- ratio and brought something positive to the game tonight. The offense was rolling for the Knicks and the defense was on point as the Knicks made a very explosive Denver team look like they were stuck in the mud. This was an imperative game for the Knicks on their home court and they delivered a total team effort. The Knicks will look to keep the good play going Sunday afternoon when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in a matinee at 1 PM ET.
Player of the Game: Jeremy Tyler
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| Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports |
With the Knicks looking like they were going to be blown out, the bench came into the game and got things going. One of the catalysts off the bench was Tyler, who recorded his best game statistically with the Knicks, finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler brought the energy and spark to the team tonight that they needed to get going and he was rewarded by Mike Woodson with extended minutes in the first half. He looks like he has fun when he is on the court and it is something that is contagious for the rest of the team. Tyler also added two assists and one steal, which he finished with a highlight dunk to get the crowd into a frenzy. Tyler, along with Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert and Pablo Prigioni, finished with a team high +18. He has filled in well with Martin absent and looks like he has earned playing time even once Martin comes back as a spark off the bench offensively and as a rebounding force.
-Positives
Tyler wasn't the only big manto get going tonight as Amar'e Stoudemire came off the bench with him and came out like a man on fire offensively and filled up the basket. Stoudemire scored 17 points in 22 minutes on 7-12 from the floor. He also grabbed eight rebounds as his presence with Tyler gave the Knicks a big scoring punch off the bench and something that lack at times with a low post presence. Tyson Chandler got going early with some easy baskets and carried that confidence throughout the night. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals in only 23 minutes as the big men really controlled the paint tonight.
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| Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports |
Raymond Felton had quite possibly his best game of the season. His stats aren't gaudy but he was able to attack the paint tonight and get everyone involved that was on the court with him tonight. Felton finished with nine points, eight assists and two steals while turning the ball over only once in his 28 minutes of playing time. If Felton can put together more games down the stretch like he did tonight the Knicks will surely get things going.
Felton's partner in crime in the backcourt, Prigioni, had a strong game as well. Prigioni did not score, he did not even attempt a shot, but he had an extremely positive influence on the game tonight. On more than handful of occasions you could see Priginoi directing traffic offensively and defensively to help get his teammates in the right position. One that sticks out is when Stoudemire was stuck offensively, unsure of where to go, and Prigioni directed him in the right direction. The result was a behind the back pass from J.R Smith to Tyler for an and-one. Prigioni finished the game with two rebounds, six assists, four steals and only one turnover in only 22 minutes on the court. He ran the pick-and-roll with Stoudemire extremely well tonight and kept attacking the middle of the Nuggets defense, where he felt they were most vulnerable.
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| Kathleen Malone Van-Dyke |
The Knicks offense, after a lull in the first quarter, was on fire throughout the night. The Knicks shot 56.5 percent overall from the field and hit their magic number at the three point line with 11, knocking down 39.3 percent of their shots from long range. On the other hand, the Nuggets were never really able to get going, shooting 42.1 percent overall from the field and 26.9 from the three point line. When the offense went cold the defense did not for the Knicks, as the defensive pressure fueled their offense tonight. The Knicks were also able to win the rebounding battle surprisingly as the Nuggets entered the game as the fifth best rebounding team in the NBA at 45.7 per game. Tonight the Knicks were able to outrebound them 43-34.
-Negatives
The only negative for the Knicks tonight was the lackluster start. They fell down by as many as 10 in the first quarter. But that was the extent of the negatives tonight as the Knicks did not get down on themselves and kept at it, something they have failed to do throughout the season when falling in an early hole.
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