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 New York (23-40) last won back-to-games Jan. 28 and 30 when it
defeated Boston and Cleveland, respectively. The Knicks knocked off
Minnesota on Wednesday.
Forward Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks with 29 points and a
season-high eight assists. Shooting guard J.R. Smith added 17 points
and center Tyson Chandler recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds for his
13th double-double of the season.
Guards Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks led the Jazz (21-41) with 18
points apiece. Utah dropped its fifth straight game, all on the
road. One of the lowest scoring teams in the league, it failed to
score at least 100 points for the 43d time this season. It concludes
the six-game journey Saturday at Philadelphia.
The Knicks, still clinging to the prospect of making the playoffs
despite being 5 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the eighth and final
spot in the Eastern Conference as play began Friday, were in command
for most of the game. They held a double-digit lead in the second
half with a blend of long-range shooting and interior superiority.
"I am back where I was five or six years ago, chasing the eighth
spot," said Knicks coach Mike Woodson, referring to when he coached
in Atlanta. "You have no choice but to watch now. Somebody's going
to get it (final playoff spot) and I hope it's us."
The one-sided romp against the Jazz was the Knicks seventh win by
over 20 points this season. With three games in the next five days,
the Knicks were able to rest their starters in the fourth quarter,
especially 31-year-old forward Amar'e Stoudemire who has been
hobbled this season with ankle and knee injuries. He scored 10
points in 18 minutes.
"If he (Stoudemire) had to play 30 minutes I don't know if I would
have had him for tomorrow (Saturday) against Cleveland for this
back-to-back," said Woodson. "Having that big lead certainly
helped." The Knicks' front line of Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler combined
for 55 points and 16 rebounds. The 7-foot-1 Chandler was no match
for Utah centers Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, scoring at will off
the pick-and-roll.
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"It seems like the focus has been there in shoot-arounds and walk
throughs," said Chandler of the Knicks' recent improved play. "A lot
of little things have helped the big things."
New York took a 24-point advantage, 84-60, into the fourth quarter.
The closest Utah was able to get in the second quarter was 10 points
at 43-33 with 8:08 left, but New York went on a 9-0 run to move
ahead 52-33. Chandler dropped in six points and Anthony scored four
points in the quarter.
"We talked about coming out and being aggressive," said Jazz coach
Tyrone Corbin. "Anthony is a great player but when you give up 39
points in the first quarter on the road — that's hard to overcome."
Anthony poured in 18 points in the first quarter to lead the Knicks
to a 39-22 advantage. It marked the most points they have scored in
any quarter this season. Anthony, who was battling a cold, nailed 3
of his 5 shots from beyond the arc and scored the Knicks' final 11
points of the quarter.
"I didn't even know he (Anthony) had a cold until maybe the second
quarter," Woodson admitted. "He looked like Melo to me."
NOTES: New York is 9-1 when it holds the opposition to under 90
points. ... G J.R. Smith recorded his 10th straight game in
double-digit scoring with 17 points. ... The Jazz are on their
longest road trip since the 2003-04 season. The six-game journey in
nine days spans 4,895 miles in the air. ... Knicks F Amar'e
Stoudemire averaged 18 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three
games in March. ... Utah G Trey Burke is third in scoring average
(12.5) and second in assists per game (5.4) among rookies. ...
Knicks F Carmelo Anthony leads the NBA in minutes per game (39.1).
... The Jazz are 28th in the league in points per game (94.6) and
assists per game (20).
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