Knicks-76ers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Nov 04 2012 10:22PM

The New York Knicks are off to their best start in 13 years, and Carmelo Anthony's inspired play is one of the key reasons.

Stunning success from beyond the arc and impressive depth are also playing major roles.

Anthony and the Knicks look to improve to 3-0 Monday night by sweeping this home-and-home set in Philadelphia, where they've won four of five against the 76ers.

New York hasn't enjoyed such a start to a season since 1999-2000.

Anthony helped get things started Friday, scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds while hitting half of his eight 3-pointers in a 104-84 win over Miami. He followed that by making 10 of 18 field goals to finish with 27 points in Sunday's 100-84 victory against Philadelphia (1-1).

While the five-time All-Star is having a major impact offensively, he also added three steals and two blocks against the 76ers - even diving into the stands in an attempt to save a ball he swatted away.

"It's really contagious when you see your star player going out there, diving in the crowd, giving up open shots, going for loose balls. It really filters throughout the team," swingman J.R. Smith said. "So as long as he keeps doing it, I think everybody won't have a problem doing it."

Smith is doing his part offensively, totaling 31 points, while Raymond Felton has managed 25 and Jason Kidd 24, giving Anthony some help with Amare Stoudemire out.

"I think when you share the basketball it becomes contagious, and guys, they feed into it," coach Mike Woodson said. "And the fact that we have so many guys that can make shots, you don't know who's going to get you on any given night."

That includes impressive shooting from beyond the arc, where New York has hit 30 of 63 after making 33.6 percent last season - 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Steve Novak has connected of 7 of his 13 attempts from long range, while Smith went 4 of 5 as the Knicks made 11 3-pointers against the 76ers.

Four of the previous five meetings at the Wells Fargo Center have been decided by five points or fewer, including an 82-79 New York win March 21 as Stoudemire scored 21 to offset a 10-point performance from Anthony.

The Sixers are also dealing with a knee injury to their best big man, with Andrew Bynum still unable to play. Now, they'll be without guard Jason Richardson after he suffered a sprained left ankle when he stepped on a cameraman behind the baseline at New York.

Philadelphia will hope Monday's defensive effort more closely resembles its season opener. The 76ers limited the Nuggets to 37.5 percent from the field and 4 for 18 beyond the arc in an 84-75 win Wednesday, but allowed the Knicks to shoot 50.6 percent.

They may also need to be better with the ball after giving it away 18 times Sunday.

"I think we turned the ball over too much and we were definitely out of sync," said forward Thaddeus Young, who had 16 points.

Six of those turnovers belonged to Jrue Holiday, who shot 11 for 18 from the floor - 5 for 6 from 3-point range - to finish with 27 points and seven assists.

Anthony keeps Knicks perfect with win over 76ers

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Nov 05 2012 11:00PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) For all the cracks made about New York's aging roster, those old-timers sure know how to win.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and JR Smith had 17 to help keep the Knicks perfect in a 110-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Raymond Felton scored 16 points and Tyson Chandler had 14 to lead the Knicks to their first 3-0 start since the 1999-2000 season. The Knicks beat the Sixers 100-84 on Sunday in the opener of the home-and-home series.

"We're just playing good ball right now," Anthony said. "We really locked in what we need to lock in on."

Few teams are as locked in as the Knicks. They thumped Miami in the opener before routing the Sixers in consecutive games. Heck, they were even perfect from the free-throw line, a 19 of 19 night, the most attempts without a miss since 2006.

The Knicks busted the game open in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 21 points. They got a surprising third from 38-year-old Rasheed Wallace, who scored eight points and hit a couple of 3-pointers, including a 26-footer at the buzzer to end the quarter.

After a solid first, the Sixers fell apart, and got nothing going with their set offense. Jrue Holiday led them with 17 points.

Wallace was wooed out of retirement by coach Mike Woodson following two years off spent in quiet in North Carolina. He gave the Knicks a nice, unexpected boost in the quarter from long range. Several thousand Knicks fans came out to the Wells Fargo Center and they went wild when Wallace, a Philadelphia native, unleashed his 3-point attempts.

In his 5 minutes in the third, Wallace's eight points outscored every Sixers bench player overall except Nick Young. Wallace finished with 10 points and wore a button-down "Philla" shirt in the locker room.

"It's nice to be here, always," Wallace said. "I've never really left Philly, and I've been here a few times, attending Sixers games, since I last played. Everyone here has always shown me love, and I have for them."

Young led the way of cold-shooting Sixers, missing 11 of 15 attempts. Known as a shoot-first player, Young almost never looked for another option, and hoisted up misfire after misfire. One fan heckled him, "That's why you got a one-year deal, man!"

No, the Sixers aren't building around Young. But it's clear they need some help outside of Holiday. Dorell Wright had 14 points, and Thaddeus Young had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The game was well out of reach by the time they started putting up numbers.

"Points aren't easy to come by and you have to be on the same page," center Spencer Hawes said.

Ronnie Brewer sparked the Knicks in the third, turning an eight-point lead into 18 after he nailed a couple of 3s. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Thaddeus Young was no match for Anthony inside. Anthony worked his way past Young for some buckets in the paint and scored 15 in the first half when it was still just 56-48 at the break.

Sixers coach Doug Collins chided his team after Sunday's loss for playing without any energy at the start of the game. His message got to the Sixers - for a few minutes. They led 14-4 before the Knicks took control and cruised toward their perfect start.

Count Collins among those impressed by New York's fast start.

"They, right now, do not have a weakness," Collins said. "If they continue to play like this, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the East."

Smith tangled briefly with Royal Ivey and the two had to be separated. Smith was even hit for a technical and Chandler was called for one in the third. Those were about the only missteps for the Knicks, who had seven players score in double digits, yet got only two assists and three points from Jason Kidd. Kidd was one of the more vocal Knicks on the bench, standing, clapping and cheering on each big basket or loose-ball hustle.

"We were able to make the moves we wanted to this offseason, and everyone has come here, has been happy with their playing time, and contributed in their own way," Woodson said.

By the end, the New Yorkers who made the trip chanted, "Let's go Knicks!" as they left the arena.

Notes: Knicks C Marcus Camby sat out again after missing most of preseason with a strained calf. ... 76ers starting guard Jason Richardson remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle. Dorell Wright got the start. ... Collins shook up the lineup and started Kwame Brown at center for Lavoy Allen. Bynum left in the third with a strained left calf. ... 76ers GM Tony DiLeo says there is still no timetable for Andrew Bynum's return from a bone bruise. ... The Sixers' ownership group donated $50,000 to Superstorm Sandy relief efforts. They are auctioning memorabilia and prizes at www.SixersOperationRebound.com to raise money for the Red Cross. C Spencer Hawes donated $16,000 to Sandy relief efforts.

Notebook: Knicks 110, 76ers 88

Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:52 PM - Updated Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:52 PM

THE FACTS: Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and J.R. Smith added 17 points, leading the New York Knicks past the Philadelphia 76ers 110-88 Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Seven Knicks wound up in double figures with Raymond Felton scoring 16, Tyson Chandler 14, Ronnie Brewer 13, Pablo Prigioni 11 and Rasheed Wallace 10. The Knicks improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Jrue Holiday led the struggling Sixers (1-2) with 17 points. Dorell Wright and Thaddeus Young had 14 each while Nick Young contributed 12 and Evan Turner 11.

QUOTABLE: "We've run into a team the last couple games who is playing as well as anybody in the NBA. If Miami is the number one team, New York just beat them by 20. They right now do not have a weakness." -- Sixers coach Doug Collins, on the undefeated Knicks.

THE STAT: The Knicks shot a perfect 19-for-19 from the free throw line. The last time the Knicks had at least 19 free throws without a miss came on April 20, 2005 against Washington when they were 26-for-26.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks held a 56-48 lead at halftime and ended up outscoring Philadelphia 33-20 in the third quarter. They cruised the rest of the game.

HOT: Brewer knocked down five of his eight shots, including three of his four 3-pointers for a 13-point night.

NOT: Young was 4-for-15, Wright shot 4-for-14 and Holiday was 4-for-12 for the Sixers. That's not going to get it done offensively.

QUOTABLE II: "When we do it like that on the road, it's pretty good. I looked at the stat sheet and saw only seven turnovers. That's the name of the game. You can't turn it over on the road and think you're going to beat anybody. We took care of the basketball, got good shots, the ball moved freely again tonight and our defense was solid again."

-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Smith had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Knicks. It was an impressive all-around performance in nearly 34 minutes of action.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The crowd was lively from the start at the Wells Fargo Center. But by the end of the night, the Knicks fans were the only ones cheering a 22-point Sixers loss.

QUOTABLE III: "We know the kind of talent we have. We know the kind of guys we have and sometimes it just doesn't come as quickly as everyone expects."

-- Sixers forward Spencer Hawes.

GOOD MOVE: The Knicks continued to attack the shorthanded Sixers, who were missing Andrew Bynum and eventually Kwame Brown with a left calf strain in the third quarter. New York kept going to the basket and getting to the free throw line. Very smart.

BAD MOVE: The Sixers took 86 shots, but many were not in the flow of the offense. They didn't get a lot of clean looks and probably could have moved the ball inside and out on more possessions.

ROOKIE WATCH: Prigioni had 11 points, six assists and two steals while forward Chris Copeland had five points in a span of 3:25 for the Knicks. Forward Arnett Moultrie scored two points and guard Maalik Wayns was scoreless in a brief stint for the Sixers.

NOTABLE: Jason Richardson sprained his left ankle in Sunday's loss at New York and was inactive for this game. Wright started in Richardson's place. ... Brown got the start at center in place of Lavoy Allen. ... Brown strained his left calf in the third quarter and didn't return. ... The Sixers donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross to help those in need from Hurricane Sandy. In addition, Hawes donated $16,000. ... Chandler and Smith each picked up a technical foul for the Knicks. ... New York has won nine of the last 12 games against the Sixers. ... Brewer is 5-for-9 from beyond the arc this season. He entered the game as a 24.4 percent career 3-point shooter. ... The Sixers shot a season-low 33.7 percent from the field. ... Knicks center Marcus Camby was held out. He had been hampered by a strained calf during the preseason.

NEXT: For the Knicks, Friday vs. Dallas, Tuesday @ Orlando, Thursday @ San Antonio. For the Sixers, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Friday @ Boston, Saturday @ Toronto.

• Knicks: Shumpert, Stoudemire
• 76ers: Bynum

• Knicks: Chandler, Smith
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #59 Gary Zielinski, #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 15783
• Duration: 2:15