Net Gain: Knicks Hit Rock Bottom; Jersey Wins No. 7

Written by Oren Vourman

Sunday, 07 March 2010

Devin Harris and the Nets stunned the Knicks Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV

NEW YORK – A 20-point lead in the first half was too much for the New York Knicks to handle Saturday night, and so it was by 20 points that the New Jersey Nets defeated the hometown Knicks 113-93 on Latino Night at Madison Square Garden.

While the mood was set by an all-Spanish Knicks lineup introduction, the salsa cam, white and orange “Neuva York” jerseys with a Latino Night patch and a pre-game pep talk by Knicks guard Sergio Rodriguez to the fans (who continually chanted for reserve point guard Toney Douglas throughout the game), Latino Night was ultimately meant for the Nets, who took advantage of the three-point line to decimate any chances of a New York comeback. Nets guard Courtney Lee would set the 3-point tone for New Jersey, going 5 of 7 from downtown and was 9 of 16 overall from the field. As a team, the Nets shot an incredulous 58.3 percent from three-point land. On the other end of the court, the Knicks set a new record, albeit a dubious one, by missing all 18 of their attempts from three-point range. Twice in Knicks history, the club had missed 13 attempts without making one, and was previously 0-for-6 versus Boston on Mar.29, 2006.

Saturday night’s loss was won and lost in the first half. In the first quarter both David Lee and Danilo Gallinari of the Knicks scored 11 points each, as New York led 32-22 at the end of the first. Both Lee (who would finish with 23 points) and Gallinari (15 total points on the night) would then proceed to go scoreless in the second quarter, as New York fell behind 56-50 at halftime.

With Nets starting guard Devin Harris imploding on the Garden hardwood for a game-high 31 points, the Knicks would continue to brick 3 after 3, opening up 14 fast break points for New Jersey.

Knicks point guard Sergio Rodriguez, who played well in defeat, thanked the Knicks for hosting "Latino Night." PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV

“Devin was able to penetrate and score,” said Courtney Lee, adding, “…they [New York] did a good job at home opening with the first punch, but we stuck with what’s worked before, not settling for bad shots.”

Despite punishing the Nets in the post by a margin of 54-38, New Jersey scored 42 points from downtown and also received another strong performance by center Brook Lopez, who finished the night with18 points, and was tied with guard Terrence Williams for a team-high 11 rebounds.

As for the Knicks newest acquisitions; guard Tracy McGrady never really got into his shooter’s rhythm and scored only two points to go along with his team-high seven assists. Guard Eddie House scored six points on 3 of 8 shooting from the field while forward Bill Walker added four points and six boards. Rodriguez, whose flashy passes were the only bright spot in a blighted game for New York, ended the night with nine points and five assists in 24 minutes of action.

The Nets have had their struggles this season, but Brook Lopez and New Jersey could do no wrong against their cross-river rival Saturday. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV

Tired after another frustrating home loss, Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni was candid about his team’s performance. “It is as bad as it can get. I don’t have a whole lot to say, we just have to pull it together and find a little bit of a combination that works a little bit.”

When asked how New Jersey was able to get back into the game after a disastrous first quarter, Nets forward Jarvis Hayes replied, “When you score it makes the game easier to play.”

Both the Knicks (21-41) and the Nets (7-55) will return to action on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks and the Memphis Grizzlies, respectively.

NOTES: With the win, New Jersey has now won three straight road games…With the loss New York is now 1-9 on Saturdays and 2-13 in the second game of back-to-back contests…Knicks guard/forward combo Wilson Chandler recorded his third double-double with 20 points and 10 boards over 46 minutes…Rodriguez was thrilled that the Knicks organization had Latino Night, citing that none of the teams in the NBA that he had previously played on had ever had one before, and admitted that despite his shyness he was happy to have made his pre-game “Vamos Knicks” themed speech.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Add comment

JComments

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]