Gallinari, Stoudemire score 27 apiece as Knicks top Kings
Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins, middle, and New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire (1) and Landry Fields battle for rebound position. (Nov. 17, 2010) Credit: MCT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - This had the makings of a demoralizing night for the Knicks, but instead, behind a determined 27 points by Danilo Gallinari and 27 points and 10 rebounds from Amar'e Stoudemire, it turned into a galvanizing 113-106 win over the Kings Wednesday night at Arco Arena.
The victory, though it still included concerning issues in protecting a 13-point fourth-quarter lead, snapped a six-game losing streak.
"A losing streak is something that can either make you or break you,'' Stoudemire said. "For us, we stuck together.''
They endured through yet another awful shooting drought to start the game, missing their first six shots and 14 of their first 17 in the first quarter.
But things quickly turned around in the second quarter, sparked by a three-pointer from Gallinari, who had his best game of the season, not because of the points, but because of how he scored them. Gallinari showed an aggressiveness not seen nearly enough this season by drawing fouls and getting to the line for a career-high 16 free throws made in 17 attempts. He was 7-for-7 from the line in that second quarter, in which the Knicks scored 40 points to turn a 13-point deficit into a 54-49 halftime lead.
"It was about being aggressive and smart at the same time,'' Gallinari said.
The Knicks (4-8) shot 52.1 percent from the field and 6-for-15 from three-point range. In Tuesday night's loss in Denver, the Knicks were 9-for-31 from three-point range, including 3-for-19 in the first half. Wednesday night they found a much better balance and, consequently, a much better result.
"This is a good win for us,'' said coach Mike D'Antoni, who was feeling some early heat as a result of the losing streak. "Now let's build on it.''
This western swing continues Friday against Golden State and then Saturday against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Two very winnable games for a team desperate to start a new streak.
"We've got to continue to keep this swagger, keep this mentality,'' Stoudemire said.
Tyreke Evans had 23 points to lead the Kings (3-7).
The Knicks led by 14 points midway through the third and held an 89-76 lead with 10:05 left in the game. The Kings, however, rallied to cut it to 92-90 on a dunk by Carl Landry with 6:29 left. But the Knicks went on an 11-4 run to finally take control, capped by a solid sequence by Stoudemire, who blocked DeMarcus Cousins' dunk attempt at one end and then finished a pick-and-roll with Raymond Felton for a dunk at the other end to make it 103-94 with 2:55 left.
Ronny Turiaf was moved into the starting lineup in place of struggling rookie Timofey Mozgov, who is getting less and less playing time in the rotation. And then there's Anthony Randolph, who was completely out of the nine-man rotation Wednesday night.
"I told the team, right now, it's all about the team and I've got to go with my gut,'' D'Antoni said. "You might play, you might not. Everybody be ready. He can play [Friday], depends on what we need, we'll see how deep we go. But right now, it's all about the Knicks."
Randolph, who has been erratic in limited minutes, went through this during his first two seasons in Golden State and seemed well-versed on how to handle the questions that followed.
"We got the win,'' Randolph said. "That's all that matters. When my time comes, I'll be ready for it.''
