Knicks Start Road Trip Throttling Hornets

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 102 New Orleans Hornets: 80

Knicks Start Road Trip Throttling Hornets

/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_NBA/201211201935705252188-p2.jpg

With the win tonight, this Knicks team became the fourth team in franchise history to start with an 8-1 record.  Tonight was the start to a stretch of five games in seven nights and it could not have started better for the Knicks. Tonight was also the third 20+ point victory for the Knicks on the season.

Tonight the starters were also able to get extended rest, something that is very important as the Knicks have a quick turnaround with a game in Dallas against the Mavericks Wednesday night.

Tonight, the Knicks got rolling right from the start behind a smoking start from Carmelo Anthony.  Anthony set the tone early for the Knicks, outscoring the Hornets by himself with 19 first quarter points; the Hornets scored only 17.  Anthony finished the half with 23 points, dominating a depleted Hornets squad.

/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_NBA/201211202038743002390-p2.jpg

Anthony added six rebounds and got his teammates involved, handing out four assists in a game that he was able to take it easy for the most part, playing only 28 minutes in the game.  Anthony also only had one turnover on the night.

Raymond Felton continued his hot start, knocking down five three pointers in the game en route to 15 points.  He dished six assists and only had one turnover, running the offense to perfection.  Felton is starting to become a very reliable threat from deep for the Knicks and that will make life easier for Anthony to patrol the middle.

The ball movement for the Knicks was good again, as they had 19 assists on 37 made shots.  They also did a good job on the boards, as the Knicks had a season high 49 rebounds and outrebounded the Hornets by 13.

The ball security has also been at a premium this season, as tonight was the sixth time this season the Knicks had 10 or less turnovers in the game in nine games.  All of last season, the Knicks only did that five times.

/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_NBA/201211202035741422385-p2.jpg

Again, the Knicks defense was stifling as well.  After a lackluster second quarter in which the bench played big minutes, the defense was outstanding.  The Knicks held the Hornets to 17 points in the first quarter and 16 in both the third and fourth quarters. 

The bench recovered in the second half, but one glaring blemish is the play of Steve Novak.  Novak set a bad career high tonight, missing eight of the 10 three pointers he attempted, dropping his season shooting percentage to 37.8 percent. 

Novak has brought nothing else to the game when he steps on the court either, as he put up zeros across the board tonight in every other statistic.  Novak might start to have his minutes cut if he does not step up his play, as he is a liability on the defensive end and offers very little help outside of outside shooting.

The Knicks continue their road trip with a visit to Dallas to play against the Mavericks Wednesday night.  It is the second night of a back-to-back, but with no one playing over 30 minutes tonight the team should be fresh and ready to go.