Post Game Recap
If fans of the New York Knicks thought that Sunday was
disappointing, it hit a whole different level of low Tuesday night in Los
Angeles . The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the listless
Knicks 127-96. It was a frighten sight for the Knicks, who gave no effort and
did not seem to care about what was happening in the game. It was an
embarrassing performance for a team still in the playoff race. The Knicks
playoff hopes are on life support and fading fast as the poor performances
continue to pile up. The Knicks will have a quick turnaround as they will play
the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night in the second night of the back-to-back.
Player of the Game: None
For the second consecutive game the Knicks do not have a
player of the game. It was a total team embarrassment from top to bottom,
players and coaching staff.
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| Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports |
Match-up of the Game Recap:
J.R. Smith and Nick Young didn’t have the match-up
anticipated at the start of the game, partially because the Knicks were blown
out after the first quarter. Like all of his teammates, Smith was unable to get
anything going consistently in the game. Young on the other hand had to going,
pouring in 20 points in only 19 minutes. Young, like the Lakers, ran away with
this match-up tonight.
-Positives
After starting the game 0-6, Carmelo Anthony was able to
finish stronger, ending the game 10-21 for 29 points. Anthony added nine
rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to round out his stat line for
the night.
The first quarter was the only bright spot for the Knicks.
Anthony struggled but they were still able to take a 22-14 lead into the second
quarter. The 14 points allowed were a season low for the Knicks, as they looked
to be well on their way to a much needed victory.
-Negative
The remaining three quarters were a nightmare for the
Knicks. After allowing a season-low 14 points, they allowed a franchise-high 51
in the third quarter. That is also a record for points in a quarter for the
Lakers, which is shocking because this is quite possibly the worst Laker team
in franchise history. The Lakers poured it on after the first quarter, scoring
113 points in quarters 2-4. They really lit the Knicks up from deep, knocking
down 18-28 from the three point line.
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| Harry How/Getty Images |
The Knicks bench was pounded tonight. When they were matched
up with the Lakers bench to start the second quarter things got out of hand
quick and the Lakers started rolling. The Knicks bench scored 21 points
combined, 17 from Tim Hardaway Jr. On the contrary, the Lakers bench poured in
82. Xavier Henry scored 22, Young had 20 and Kent Bazemore had 18 to lead the
onslaught.
It was scary how poor the Knicks defense was after the first
quarter. They showed no heart or effort, leading to a blowout and yet another
embarrassing loss. Hardaway Jr. continues to get torched nightly, as he has
failed to even pick up the basics of defense in the NBA 60+ games into his
rookie season. Tyson Chandler did nothing to protect the paint, as the Lakers
scored 40 in there with little to no resistance. It was an embarrassing performance all-around
for the Knicks on the defensive end. They got dominated by essentially a
D-League team and players who haven’t played in a very long time. Chris Kaman, who hasn’t even talked to his coach in three weeks, was inserted into the lineup
tonight with Pau Gasol out, and scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The team should have to find their own way to Sacramento
for the game tomorrow and some people should be left in California
for the remainder of the season. They have had golden opportunities to move up
in the standings and close the gap with the Atlanta Hawks but have squandered
all of them. The Knicks have played heartless and low IQ basketball for the
better part of the six quarters and do not deserve a playoff spot. It is hard
to imagine this is the same team that beat the Indiana Pacers last week at Madison
Square Garden
