Check out the box score from last night’s 100-97 Knicks victory over the Nets here.
Three things of note:
1) 45. Duh. Carmelo Anthony dropped 45 points on 24 shots in 44 minutes. Last time these two teams played, he dropped 35 points on 24 shots in 50 minutes. I would say that the Nets contained ‘Melo on the 26th — he scored in bunches, but not particularly efficiently and below his per-minute season average. Last night was proof positive that the only thing that can stop ‘Melo consistently is ‘Melo. After a rough first few minutes where Anthony forced off-balance jumpers and awkward drives, he quickly got into a rhythm and began dominating.
Another weird thought: Melo dropped 35 on November 26th and the Nets won by 7. Melo dropped 45 Tuesday night and the Knicks won by 3. HE IS THE DIFFERENCE!
2) -6. Even in this loss, it’s worth noting that the Nets lost because of their perimeter defense and New York’s perimeter scoring, not because of what happened on the interior. Blatche and Evans did an admirable job on Tyson Chandler (who finished with a -6 plus-minus on the night); even scoring straight through him at some points. The Chandler-led Knicks were known for their defense, but it was the offense last night that made the difference.
3) 8:15. Kris Humphries played just eight minutes and 15 seconds last night. Woof.
