The Pelicans got back to .500, while the Knicks’ losing streak is now at nine in a row.
The New Orleans Pelicans, lead by 27 points on 11-15 shooting by Tyreke Evans, picked up a win over the New York Knicks 104-93.
The Pelicans entered the game looking to get back to .500, and with a tough stretch of games coming up, they couldn’t afford a loss to the struggling Knicks.
The Knicks, no where near the .500 mark, were just looking to win a game, having lost eight straight before Tuesday’s game.
Despite the final score, this game was close for three quarters. Anthony Davis struggled in the first quarter, going 1-6. He’d finish with 18 points and and eight rebounds, but the Knicks managed to frustrate him for much of the game.
Luke Babbitt started again in place for Eric Gordon, and began the game with back-to-back 3-pointers. Unfortunately for Babbitt, he wouldn’t score again, and after struggling to defend Carmelo Anthony (and to be fair, even the best defenders struggle), saw himself out for much of the game. New Orleans turned instead to recently acquired Dante Cunningham, who guarded Anthony for much of the game, and logged 31 minutes tonight off the bench.
The Knicks found no way to stop Omar Asik, who finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. It was one of Asik’s strongest games of the season, and he managed to overcome what ever this was in the second half:
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New York was lead by 26 points, five rebounds, and five blocks from Amar’e Stoudemire. There were flashes of Phoenix Stoudemire tonight, as the big man attacked the hoop with ease and caused New Orleans’ front court a lot of problems. Anthony had a quiet night, scoring just 17 points on only 6-11 shooting.
The Knicks were only down four entering the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans upped their defensive, outscoring the Knicks 27-20 in the fourth. The Pelicans forced the Knicks into tough shots, and capitalized on the other end.
The Pelicans are now 10-10, and are a game back of the Phoenix Suns for the 8th seed in the West. As it stands, the Pelicans, Suns, and Sacramento Kings will be battling all season for the last playoff spot.
With Eric Gordon out for the foreseeable future, the Pelicans will have to make due with the likes of Babbitt and Austin Rivers. While Rivers still doesn’t look like a productive NBA player, he has developed a solid floater that he used often when attacking the rim. He was used primarily as the two guard tonight, which seems to be his most comfortable position.
New Orleans’ newest additions, Cunningham and Gal Mekel, didn’t light up the box score, but had positive impacts. Cunningham did his job against Melo, while Mekel was a solid game manager off the bench. Mekel, who is from Israel, only recorded one assist, but did not commit a turnover, and looked to set up shot opportunities for the Pelicans’ second unit. Both players add a bit of depth to the Pelicans’ bench, something they will need if they want to stay in the playoff race.
While the Knicks kept the game close until the fourth, it never seemed likely they would win. Despite Davis’ early struggles, the Knicks couldn’t get defensive stops when they needed, and more than once climbed back into games by going on runs.
New York has now lost nine straight, and unless they pick up a win in Boston on December 12th, they may not win another game in 2014. Sounds crazy, but their schedule is brutal to end the season, with a West Coast road trip, and games against Eastern Conference playoff contenders. They will play San Antonio next, who will look to avoid losing two straight after falling to the Jazz on the road.
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