NEW YORK ? Carmelo ?Melo? Anthony continued where he left off, showing no ill effects from a two game hiatus due to knee and ankle injury finishing the game with 31 points. Anthony was also lethal from downtown hitting 4 of 8 from behind the 3 point arc.
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Although the game started slow it was not lacking in intensity as the game was tied four times and the lead changed hands eight times in the first quarter alone.
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"That's what we expect [from Carmelo] every night. Whenever he's in the lineup, that's what we expect from him," JR Smith was quoted on NBA.com on Anthony?s performance. JR Smith also scored a game high 19 points to back stop Anthony?s offensive performance.
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And while the Nets welcomed the return of Brook Lopez at the middle who managed 16 points, he was no match to Tyson Chandler?s dominant performance at the shaded lane grabbing 12 rebounds and scoring 16 points a couple of which were well timed back board shaking alley oops.
Raymond Felton?s shooting woes continued as he only managed a total of eight points, missing some wide open shots, but he was credited with hounding Nets leading scorer Deron Williams who scored a ?quite? 16 points, after a meager three point performance in the first half.
Only back-up guard Keith Bogans scored in double figures for the Nets to Joe Johnson?s team leading 17 points.
After ten ties and twenty lead changes, the Knicks broke the game wide open to close out the third quarter, 67-75.
Playing without?the sharpshooting Steve Novak and veteran Rasheed Wallace, the Knicks?opened the fourth canto with Prigione and Kidd at the backcourt and a frontline of JR Smith and newcomer Chris Copeland with the ageing Kurt Thomas patrolling the middle. These role players responded as the Knicks opened a 68-80 lead at 8:10 in the quarter.
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There was no looking back from there as the Knick defense held the Nets offense at bay, final score 100-86.
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With the win the Knicks maintain its lead atop the Eastern Conference at 19-6 dropping the Nets to a disappointing 13-12 in the win-loss column, just a game above .500 going 2-8 in their last 10 games. (Reynaldo Seno)
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