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 The 19-year-old Mudiay recorded his second straight superlative
fourth quarter, scoring nine of his 15 points in the Nuggets' 101-96
win over the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
"I saw an opportunity and I took it," said Mudiay, who also
distributed nine assists, two shy of his season high, and didn't
turn the ball over. "I started off slow, real slow, then they
(Knicks) they went on their run and I felt like I had to be more
aggressive.
"Me being out, I think it really helped me because the whole game
slowed down to me, and at the same time it got faster to me, if that
makes sense. I've just been trying to do as much studying as I can,
trying to watch other players and just keep working on my
development."
In the Nuggets' 115-110 victory against Chicago on Friday, Mudiay
scored eight points with an assist in the last 4:34 of the game to
lead a Denver comeback. He was out from December 14th through
January 8th.
Through the first four games of February, Mudiay is averaging the
most assists he has had in any month (6.6), the fewest turnovers
(2.0) and the most steals (2.0). He leads all rookies in assists,
averaging 5.7.
Swingman Will Barton and forward Danilo Gallinari added 19 points
each for the Nuggets (21-31). Barton, who also grabbed 11 rebounds,
is the second-highest bench scorer in the league, averaging 15.5
points.
Knicks forwards Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis poured in 21
points each in New York's season-high fifth straight loss. The
Knicks (23-31) have dropped nine of their last 10 games.
"We have never been truly consistent," said Knicks coach Derek
Fisher. "The reality is that we have chances to win these games, but
we are not winning them."
Porzingis, who was chosen with the fourth pick in the June draft,
three spots ahead of Mudiay, grabbed 13 rebounds for his
team-leading 18th double-double.
A Porzingis layup with 42 seconds left in the game drew New York to
97-94, but Anthony's attempt to tie it with a 3-pointer from the
right elbow failed. Barton then sank four straight free throws in
the last seven seconds to seal the win.
Mudiay tied it at 88-88 with a 20-foot jumper and then scored seven
of the Nuggets' next nine points for a 97-90 lead with 2:43 to play.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 11 points early in the third
quarter, but Porzingis deposited 13 points and grabbed seven
rebounds in the frame to bring the Knicks back to a 79-77 lead
heading into the fourth quarter.
New York fell behind by as many as 19 points late in the end of the
second quarter.
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Anthony picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter
with the Knicks trailing 66-59, but Porzingis ignited an 12-2 run
with a mid-range jumper to give his team a 71-68 lead. Porzingis
scored six points in the run.
Barton contributed 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in
the second quarter as the Nuggets built a 60-49 halftime edge.
Denver used an 11-2 run to boost its lead to 51-33 with 4:39 to play
in the second quarter.
Forward Kenneth Faried (14 points) scored 10 points to help Denver
to a 31-20 first-quarter lead.
"The first quarter we got off to a great start," observed Denver
coach Mike Malone. "It was a big stage for a lot of our young guys.
We had to have some poise and I thought we did.
"I thought Emmanuel (Mudiay) was great tonight. He has a poise and a
maturity not many 19-year-olds have."
Anthony and Porzingis were a combined 0-for-10 from the floor in the
first quarter as the Knicks made just 8 of their 24 shots.
"Overall there is a lack of readiness, whether it's mental or
physical," said Fisher of his team's start. "I will take some
responsibility for it. We have to figure that out."
NOTES: The Knicks are 11-6 on Super Bowl Sunday. ... New York has
lost nine games by six points or less. ... Nuggets F Danilo
Gallinari has shot 89.3 percent from the line while leading the NBA
in free throws made and attempted since Jan. 6. ... F Darrell Arthur
(left quad soreness), F Wilson Chandler (right hip surgery) and G
Jameer Nelson (sprained left wrist) were out for Denver. ... Knicks
F Lance Thomas was out with a concussion. ... Sunday was the start
of a four-game road trip for the Nuggets. ... Knicks F Carmelo
Anthony is shooting a career-low 42.4 percentage from the floor.
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