Melo Returns for NY, Deron Williams 38 Carries Nets Past Knicks

To put it simply, Deron Williams absolutely scorched the Knicks tonight. In leading the Nets to a 100-92 victory, the guard went off for 38 points, draining eight three-pointers before the fourth quarter even began.

Whether it was the rigors of playing back-to-back games (although it didn't hurt the Nets who just played their third game in three nights) or whether it was integrating the players who haven't been around for the team's recent success, the Knicks struggled to get any momentum going.

Defensively they were awful, desperately missing the harassing defense of rookie Iman Shumpert who was out with knee tendinitis. Losing center Tyson Chandler for most of the game to foul trouble also contributed to the lack of intensity. The Knicks continually allowed the Nets to shoot the open three-pointer and Deron Williams especially, made them pay.

Carmelo Anthony returned for the Knicks tonight, but after missing seven games with a groin injury, was clearly rusty. He made plenty of good plays early, but failed to finish, especially when attacking the rim.

Critics have questioned Anthony's ability to buy into the system that Jeremy Lin has so successfully been able to motor in Anthony's absence, however this game should be no indictment to that assumption. On this night, Anthony was not the ball-stopper that he has shown to be in the past. He continually looked for his teammates, finishing the game with six assists.

Despite the fact that Deron Williams extremely limited Lin's ability to penetrate to to the rim, he still put on another solid performance . He shot the ball well from the field, dropping 21 points to go with his nine assists, seven rebounds, and four steals.

The long awaited return of point guard Baron Davis finally came to fruition, playing 10 minutes off the bench to spell Lin. He finished with three points and an assist. The rest of the bench gave them little or next to nothing offensively as Steve Novak, Jared Jeffries and J.R. Smith combined for 16 points on 6-22 shooting from the field.

However, the Knicks did move the ball efficiently most of the game, making the extra pass to get the open shot, it just never resulted in much.

The Knicks missed wide open shots all night, especially when they needed them most. After trailing by 18 points to start the fourth quarter, the Knicks showed some fight and were able to cut the lead to eight. However, a two-minute scoring drought, followed by second and third offensive opportunities for the Nets, would eventually build New Jersey's lead back up to 15.

A day after playing some of their best basketball of the season, the Knicks were completely gut-checked by the Nets on their home floor. They played foolishly, constantly fouling when they were caught out of position and obviously let the Nets get into their heads. The Knicks have continually played down to their competition at home, and in order to battle for a spot in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, this is going to have to change.

The Knicks will complete their five-game home stand on Wednesday night, when they take on the Atlanta Hawks.