Carmelo Anthony's Struggles Impair Knicks and Other Friday NBA Takeaways
Carmelo Anthony, fresh off signing a massive $122-plus million contract in the offseason, isn't off to the smoothest of starts.
The New York Knicks superstar failed to score at least 20 points for the third straight game, which probably has something to do with his team suffering its third straight loss—this time to the Brooklyn Nets by a final score of 110-99.
It was the fourth time in six games that the 30-year-old hasn't surpassed 19 points. The Knicks are 0-4 in those games.
That may not be enough of a sample size to talk seriously about correlations, but this much is certain. With new head coach Derek Fisher trying to turn this team around with the well-documented triangle offense, New York needs more from its best player amid the transition.
"It starts with me," he told reporters after Friday's loss. "When I don't play well, it trickles down to everybody else."
Anthony made just five of his 20 field-goal attempts against Brooklyn, marking the third consecutive game in which he's made under 35 percent of his shots. It's a pattern that likely has more to do with rust and rhythm than some kind of decline, but that comes as little consolation to the 2-4 Knicks.
Melo only made five of 21 field-goal attempts in a 98-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
"I just missed a lot of shots," he admitted to reporters afterward. "It was just one of those nights it's just not going in. Unfortunately that's two nights in a row for me. I'm not really too concerned about making those shots and stuff like that."
Make that three nights in a row. And whether Anthony is concerned about the shots he's missing, it's fair to say he—more than any star in the league—is paid to get buckets, and to get them at a reasonably efficient rate.
To his credit, Anthony scored a combined 53 points in New York's wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.
The ability is there. Consistency is not.
And despite the calm and collected reaction, Anthony admitted the scoring troubles were affecting him after New York fell to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
"Anytime you don't make shots, you're not scoring the basketball, it makes it hard," he explained to media at the time. "It makes it strenuous, and then the opposing team is denying, taking away a lot of your options. It can get frustrating at times."
Unfortunately, it appears that frustration may be spreading. This team looks no closer to vying for a playoff spot than it did a season ago. And it almost certainly won't without marked improvement from Anthony.
The New York Post's Marc Berman put it aptly before Friday's game:
"So far the Knicks season looks a lot like this: As Anthony goes, so go the Knicks. Derek Fisher's team has shown signs it can win when Anthony has an average night (four Knicks scored more than Anthony in Detroit, giving him support). But they can't win when he stinks out the barn.
"
It's still officially too soon to panic, but there's little doubt impatient Knicks fans already feel as though they've read this script before. And Anthony is making way too much money to be the primary culprit.
Around the Association
Kings Reach 5-1 for First Time Since 1999 with Resilient Double-Overtime Performance
The Sacramento Kings refused to go away on Friday night, eventually beating the Phoenix Suns 114-112 in a double-overtime highlight of the young NBA season. Head coach Mike Malone's team battled back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit and later overcame a seven-point gap in the first overtime.
Despite making just five of his 22 field-goal attempts on the evening, Kings swingman Rudy Gay gave Sacramento the lead late in double overtime with a turnaround jumper on the baseline. The Kings were running short on scoring options with center DeMarcus Cousins fouling out in the fourth quarter with 25 points and 18 rebounds.
The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006, and they'll have to beat teams like Phoenix to get there. The Suns narrowly missed them a season ago after claiming 48 wins.
The Suns were expected to be one of this season's up-and-coming teams, but Sacramento is giving the Pacific Division someone else to think about. How long that lasts remains to be seen.
Lance Ends 2OT Thriller with Game-Winner from Distance
Lance Stephenson welcomed himself to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night with a game-winning three-pointer that beat the buzzer after the team inbounded the ball with just 2.2 seconds remaining in double overtime. The bank shot capped off the 24-year-old's best performance of the season, his first in Charlotte after departing the Indiana Pacers via free agency.
He tallied 17 points overall and for the second straight game racked up a total of 13 rebounds and four assists. Center Al Jefferson's 34 points carried the Hornets much of the night, but Stephenson was cold-blooded when it counted.
The 122-119 nail-biter may have been the evening's narrowest outcome, but it wasn't the only one decided in overtime. The Orlando Magic pulled away from the Minnesota Timberwolves with an 18-point overtime period, claiming their second win of the season by a 112-103 margin.
This summer's fourth overall pick, Aaron Gordon, had his best game of the young season for Orlando, tallying career highs of 17 points and six rebounds in just 22 minutes. Six of those points came in a one-sided overtime.
The 19-year-old even showed off some three-point range with a couple of strikes from long range.
Grizzlies Stay Undefeated Against Struggling Thunder
A five-second violation and missed three-pointer doomed the Oklahoma City Thunder's attempts to steal their second game of the season in the waning moments of a 91-89 loss to the now-6-0 Memphis Grizzlies.
Without superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the 1-5 Thunder relied on 22 points and eight assists from Reggie Jackson to keep things close. But Memphis' stiff defense held the Thunder to just 40 first-half points and forced OKC to come from behind late in the game.
Ultimately, it just didn't have enough firepower—a now-familiar theme for the shorthanded club.
The Grizzlies are giving up just 90.9 points per 100 possessions according to Hollinger Stats, an elite mark ranking just behind the first-place Golden State Warriors at the moment. If Memphis keeps grinding out wins, it may again earn the dark-horse label to which it's become so accustomed.
Raptors Wear Throwback Uniforms, Go to 5-1 for First Time in Franchise History
DeMar DeRozan's 25 points helped carry the Toronto Raptors to a 103-84 win over the Washington Wizards, propelling the team to its best start in history on the same night players donned the franchise's original uniforms.
Coming off their first playoff appearance since 2008, the Raptors appear to have picked up where they left off a season ago.
LeBron and Co. Stop Bleeding with Second Win
The Denver Nuggets were no match for a new-look Cleveland Cavaliers rotation still trying to find itself. LeBron James' Cavs bounced back from a six-assist outing against the Utah Jazz, this time tallying 25 dimes in a 110-101 victory over Denver.
LBJ had 11 of those assists to go along with a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Just as it was too soon to sound any alarms after a 1-3 start to the season, it's also too soon to proclaim all of Cleveland's problems solved.
Mike Dunleavy Keeps Bulls Rolling Against Winless Sixers
The tank job we're euphemistically calling rebuilding in Philadelphia suffered its sixth loss Friday night, keeping the 76ers winless on a season in which reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams still hasn't suited up.
The Chicago Bulls claimed the 118-115 victory without point guard Derrick Rose, who's still dealing with nagging ankle problems. So leave it to 34-year-old swingman Mike Dunleavy to make up the difference. He poured in five three-pointers en route to a 27-point outing, combining with Jimmy Butler (23 points) to keep the Bulls afloat in the high-scoring affair.
Injuries Strike Rubio and Smart
Ricky Rubio sprained his left ankle in the second quarter of the Timberwolves' overtime loss to Orlando. He'll be re-evaluated Saturday after initial X-rays turned up negative, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com.
Meanwhile, Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart was carried away on a stretcher after apparently stepping on a foot during the fourth quarter of a 101-98 win against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics tweeted that it was a left ankle injury.
It remains to be seen how much time either Rubio or Smart will miss.
Waiters Missing National Anthem for a Reason
Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters explained that he wasn't around for the pregame national anthem on Wednesday due to his Muslim faith.
"It's because of my religion," he told Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes this week. "That's why I stayed in the locker room."
Haynes notes that Waiters did remain with the team during Friday's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Stephenson Goes Flying After Run-In with Teague
The fallout from this particular contact probably shouldn't have been this dramatic. Then again, Stephenson has a knack for making just about everything dramatic.
