Carmelo returns, helps Knicks blow out Pistons
Carmelo Anthony celebrates a play against the Detroit Pistons with teammate Iman Shumpert, #21. (Jan. 31, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Carmelo Anthony returned to the Knicks' lineup and for at least one night took some of the pressure and attention away from coach Mike D'Antoni.
With Anthony and the Knicks shooting better than they have all season, they snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 11 games, burying the Pistons, 113-86, Tuesday night at the Garden.
The Knicks have a long way to go before they've re-established themselves or D'Antoni can exhale. Their two wins in this stretch have been against teams with a combined 7-37 record. Detroit is 4-19. But Anthony's return gives the Knicks hope they eventually will straighten out this season.
Back after missing two games to rest his sprained right ankle, left wrist and right thumb, Anthony shot 9-for-14 from the field. He scored a game-high 25 points and passed for six assists in 33 minutes.
Anthony hadn't shot better than 50 percent in a game since he went 6-for-11 at Memphis on Jan. 12 -- the night he hurt his wrist and ankle. Anthony was 40-for-126 in his previous six games before Tuesday night. "I felt refreshed," Anthony said. "Just taking the five, six days off really helped me big time. I can feel me having my explosiveness back. A lot of things I was doing prior to the Memphis game came back tonight. I got my pop back. I felt pretty good."
Pretty good, but Anthony still isn't sure whether he'll play in all three games in the Knicks' upcoming back-to-back-to-back that starts Thursday.
"I don't know," Anthony said. "I just came back. It's something we have to talk about. We'll see what happens."
Not only did Anthony return but Landry Fields' game from the first few months of last season reappeared. He made 7 of 10 shots, scored 18 points and had five steals. Tyson Chandler scored 17 points.
The Knicks (8-13) led start to finish and took control with a 25-8 run over the second and third quarters. They shot a season-high 60-percent in beating the lowly Pistons for the second time this season. It's the first time the Knicks shot better than 50 percent in a game this season.
"A lot of that was Melo," D'Antoni said. "He looked good and we play a lot off of him. He draws a lot of attention and makes it easy for everyone else. We struggled without him or with him hurt."
Of all his ailments, Anthony's ankle was bothering him the most. There was some thought about sitting out until Thursday, but Anthony said the Knicks' struggles pushed him to come back sooner.
He played a controlled offensive game and was a facilitator. D'Antoni welcomed Anthony's return and impact.
D'Antoni is feeling the heat from the Knicks' bad start. His tenuous job security has been a daily conversation. Before the game, D'Antoni was asked how difficult this season has been compared with past ones in New York. "We had higher expectations this year, so obviously, the letdown is greater this year," D'Antoni said. "We're not playing well right now. So it's tough. Things we got to get through, we'll work through it."
All the Knicks' problems were not solved in one game against Detroit. But for the Knicks, it's better than the alternative. For one of the few times this season, they weren't booed at home and there were no "Fire D'Antoni" chants.
