Two Knicks players did not suit up as Arron Afflalo was out due to a hamstring injury and Lou Amundson was not in the building due to personal reasons. That would lead to Sasha Vujacic getting the start for the injured Affallo.

Carmelo Anthony, who spent most of last season out with a knee injury, got off to a hot start. Prior to start of preseason, Anthony said, “Physically I feel great, mentally I feel great. I’m just ready to get out there and get this thing going. I’ve been waiting for this since February”.

He backed up his words, as he put up 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the game. Bauru also had their shots on target early on, as they hit on 60 percent of their field goals while being five of eight behind the three-point line.  

The second frame began with New York going on an 11-2 run and ended with Cleanthony Early draining a deep three pointer at the buzzer. At the 2:06 mark of the second quarter, fourth overall pick Kristaps Porzingis knocked down his first three-point field goal in an NBA game and the crowd made sure they were heard as they cheered him on. Knicks dominated the period by outscoring their Brazilian opponent 36-19, as they went up by 16.

By halftime, the bench had made their presence known with several players filling up the stat sheet. Kyle O’Quinn contributed with 11 points and five rebounds. Rookie Jerian Grant put up six points to go along with five assists. Early piled on seven points.

For Bauru, seven out of nine players who saw first half action scored at least two points. The Second half featured fairly close scoring quarters as the Knicks won the third by just two and the fourth by one point. The huge second quarter deficiency turned out to be what got New York their first preseason win.

Anthony concluded the night with 17 points, as he went eight of 10 from the floor in 20 minutes of playing time. O’Quinn and Kevin Seraphin led the bench with 14 points apiece. Five of the four Bauru starters finished the game in double-digit scoring.

Robert Day led all scorers with 19. Bauru, who is known as an outside shooting team, attempted 43 three pointers. For the night, they shot 37 percent from the floor, while New York shot it at 48 percent. The Knicks also had an excellent game in the rebounding department as they racked up a total of 48 boards.

Preseason action will resume again for the Knicks on Friday, October 9th, at 7:00 P.M EST at the Verizon Center in Washington as they go up against the Wizards.