New York Knicks Survive Memphis Grizzlies with Carmelo Anthony's Game-Winner.
The fans in the FedEx Forum roared in anticipation, as Toney Douglas advanced the ball for the New York Knicks in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.
The ball then made its way to the hands of Carmelo Anthony and, well, let's just say those roars were pacified with ease.
Melo led the Knicks with a game-high 31 points, six assists and five rebounds as New York survived Memphis' fourth quarter rally with a two-point road victory on Wednesday night, 110-108.
The Knicks were up big in the third quarter, slaughtering the Grizzlies by as many as 17 points. It seemed as if they couldn't miss; they went into the fourth quarter shooting 62 percent from the field.
But Memphis simply would not die. Their defense kept them in the game with 13 steals, with Zach Randolph and Darrell Arthur came up big down the stretch with a combined 22 of their team's 26 fourth quarter points.
"Yeah, we had a chance to put them away, man," said Stoudemire after the game. "Second half, they got it going, so we had to pretty much maintain."
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the Knicks outplayed them, both offensively and defensively. Though they were outscored in the fourth quarter, the Knicks' high-octane offense throughout the first three quarters were able to keep them afloat for the duration of the game.
Carmelo's offensive expertise definitely paid off in the end, where he was able to get a tiny bit of separation from Tony Allen and nail the shot with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
"We were up 10 with three minutes to go," said Anthony. "They got some steals; got some calls going their way. It came down to that last shot, man. We kept our composure and I made a tough shot for us."
Stoudemire also contributed with 26 points, six rebounds and two steals, but it was Toney Douglas who played arguably his best game of the season.
Douglas shone in the absence of Chauncey Billups and put up big numbers scoring 18 points and dishing out 10 assists. He shot 7-14 from the field, including 4-for-8 from downtown.
Landry Fields put in 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Roger Mason scored 10 points in his 21 minutes off the bench.
For the Grizzlies, Randolph led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. Allen followed suit with a team-high 22 points and two steals, and Darrell Arthur pitched in with 21 points and seven rebounds from off the bench.
Even Mike Conley played his heart out with his 20 points, six assists and five steals. But in the end, it was Anthony and the New York Knicks who came out on top.
"They're [Memphis] good. They got into us," said coach Mike D'Antoni after the game.
"Obviously when they're shooting 37 fouls [free throws] and we're shooting four, we gotta make it up elsewhere. We just shot the ball extremely well tonight."
This win advances the Knicks' record to 34-29, where they have won six of their nine games since the trade deadline. They're still in the sixth spot in the East, but they are showing much promise for weeks to come.
Memphis is now 36-30, but it seems as though they have done a good job maintaining their eighth spot in the West. And if they continue to play like they are now, the Grizzlies could see themselves in their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Then again, how long has it been since the Knicks last made the playoffs?
