On Monday, the New York Knicks hosted the New Orleans Pelicans and looked to get their first win in 16 games. Well, the Knicks can breathe a sigh of relief because for the first time in weeks, they are leaving the court as winners. The Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden and got a 99-92 victory over New Orleans.
With Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire back on the court again, Derek Fisher's team played a tough game from start to finish. Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points and nine rebounds. Langston Galloway added 21 points for the Knicks, who improved the NBA's worst record to 6-36. This is the Knicks first victory since December 12 and the win ends the longest single-season skid in franchise history.
"It's tough, man. It's a tough situation. We're human, so we're going to feel it," Anthony said after the game. "It's definetly emotional when you're losing games like that, but we're sticking with it.
The Knicks last nine losses have been by double digits since the December 27 loss to the Sacremento Kings in overtime. However, in this one, the Knicks controlled the tempo throughout the game and stayed calm when the Pelicans put pressure on them.
The Pelicans were led by Tyreke Evans who had 23 points and nine rebounds. Eric Gordon also contributed with 20 points and five assists. The Pelicans came into this contest without starters Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. At one point, the Pelicans were within one of the Knicks but couldn't score again in the final two minutes.
"They had lost a lot of games in a row and they just said, 'Enough's enough,'" Quincy Pondexter told reporterts.
The Pelicans almost went up on a three-pointer by Ryan Anderson but he missed. It appeared the Pelicans were going to get possession back when Galloway was losing his dribble with the shot clock winding down. However, the ball went to Lou Amundson who was fouled before the shot clock expired. The Knicks then retained possession and got the ball to Jose Calderon who made a three-pointer with 32 seconds left as the Garden exploded.
"Everybody looks at the Knicks roster and says they're not talented. But they're working hard, so it was tough for us to overcome them tonight," Eric Gordon said.