Knicks-Heat Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 06 2012 12:51AM

Carmelo Anthony has been on a tear of late, but he wasn't on the court for the end of the New York Knicks' thrilling victory their last time out.

He may not be around for Thursday night's highly anticipated rematch with the Miami Heat, either.

A finger injury could keep Anthony from helping New York try to avoid its sixth straight defeat in Miami, while the Heat figure to be motivated after a stunning loss in the nation's capital.

Anthony entered Wednesday's game in Charlotte averaging 30.7 points over his previous six. He had 23 when he dove into the team's bench after a loose ball and suffered a deep cut to his left middle finger with 2:10 remaining.

That left the Knicks needing another option down the stretch. Enter J.R. Smith, who intercepted a pass with less than 20 seconds left, then hit a jumper as the buzzer sounded - the final two of his 13 points - to give the Knicks a 100-98 victory.

Tyson Chandler added 18 points and 17 rebounds.

"The huddle was very calm. They were like, 'Hey, we can win this,'" coach Mike Woodson said. "We missed a lot of good shots tonight, shots that we normally make, but J.R. hung in there and made the shot when it counted."

New York (13-4) has won five straight and has the best record in the Eastern Conference.

"I was hurt, but J.R. made it feel better," Anthony said.

How good it will feel Thursday remains to be seen. Anthony received five stitches for the laceration, though the injury is on his non-shooting hand.

"Right now it's numb, so I don't know," Anthony, averaging 28.4 points in his last 13 regular-season matchups with Miami, said of his chances to play against the Heat.

Anthony scored 30 points in New York's 104-84 home win over Miami on Nov. 2, but the Knicks have lost nine of the last 10 road meetings with the Heat - including the postseason.

Miami, though, is coming off a 105-100 loss at Washington - which had only one victory entering the contest - that snapped a season-best six-game winning streak.

"We understand that every team we play is going to play their best. They're going to make shots they don't make against other teams," LeBron James said after recording his 33rd career regular-season triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists). "We understand teams are going to play better when they play against us. They're up for it and we have to be for teams as well."

James insisted the defeat is no more or less important than any other.

"Nah, man, there's no lesson. This ain't a lesson for us. We just lost," James said. "We've seen and been through everything, so we don't need a loss to be like, `Oh, let's catch ourselves.' It happens."

Chris Bosh scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points.

"You move on," Wade said. "You learn from it, but you don't become a good team by holding onto certain losses - or certain wins."

James has averaged 30.6 points in his last 18 regular-season games against the Knicks, while Wade has averaged 30.3 in his last 13 in the series.

New York may heavily rely on Smith if Anthony can't go, but shooting against the Heat has been a struggle for Smith. He's hit just 33.6 percent from the field versus Miami in eight meetings since the start of last season.

Without Melo, Knicks top Heat 112-92

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted Dec 07 2012 12:08AM

MIAMI (AP) Another Knicks-Heat game, another 20-point Knicks win.

And if that isn't surprising enough, this one happened with Carmelo Anthony on the sideline.

Raymond Felton scored a season-high 27 points, and the Knicks connected on 18 3-pointers to more than offset the absence of Anthony while dominating Miami for the second time this season, beating the Heat 112-92 on Thursday night.

"It was fun. It was fun the whole game," Felton said. "Everybody contributed tonight. Everybody did something amazing. We played a great game minus our superstar."

Steve Novak scored 18 points, J.R. Smith added 13 and Tyson Chandler scored 13 for the Knicks, who won their fifth straight and moved 1 1/2 games clear of Miami for the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks made eight 3-pointers in the third quarter alone, the most by any NBA team in any quarter so far this season.

Anthony sat out, one night after needing five stitches to close a cut on the middle finger of his left hand.

"You've got a key guy that goes down and the other guys get an opportunity to play and step up and make plays," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "I thought it was a total team effort from everybody across the board. I thought our defense was solid and then we kind of broke it open at the end."

LeBron James nearly picked up his second straight triple-double - 31 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists - in Miami's second straight loss, the first of those coming on the road against lowly Washington on Tuesday. Dwyane Wade scored 13 points, Chris Bosh had 12 and Udonis Haslem added 10 for the Heat, who fell to 8-1 at home.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra devoted most of his postgame remarks to the theme that Miami has to "own" its shortcomings right now, and how they would be addressed starting in practice on Friday.

"We'll stay connected," Spoelstra said. "We're going to own this. We're not going to brush this off. And we're going to fix it."

James - who said the Knicks "smashed" the Heat - didn't wait that long. The league's reigning MVP worked out immediately after the game, sweating at his locker more than an hour after the final buzzer.

"I've got to be better. I've got to be better," James said. "It's that simple. So I'm here, and I'm the last one to leave."

Rasheed Wallace scored 12 and Jason Kidd added 11 points for the Knicks, who finished 18 for 44 from 3-point range.

It was tied at 53 at the half, and the third quarter changed everything for the Knicks. Kidd made a 3-pointer, Felton followed with consecutive 3s and New York was up by nine with 9:42 left in the period and the Heat seemed stunned.

New York was only getting started.

In all, it was an eight-3-pointers-in-eight-minutes barrage that decided this one, with five different players getting in on the act for the Knicks. Smith hit the last of them with 3:25 left in the third, and a pair of free throws by Chandler moments later gave New York - again, without its best player - an 18-point lead on the road against the reigning NBA champions.

Now losers of two straight, and having been beaten badly twice by the Knicks, the Heat know the outside "noise" - their word for the buzz that always seems to surround Miami - will start ramping up again.

"It's a little earlier than expected, but we knew there were going to be different challenges this year," Bosh said. "Controversy, adversity, whatever `ersity' you want to use. We're smart. We're not joking ourselves. We're here."

There was one run late in the third, a 13-3 burst by Miami that got the Heat within eight in the final seconds of the quarter. It was the last - and really, the only - gasp for Miami, as the Knicks just kept firing away in the fourth.

"We understood it was a 10-point game and we had to make our move," Novak said. "We've got a few stops and hit a bunch of shots. That was really the key for us - hitting those shots and being aggressive."

Felton finished 10 for 20 from the floor, adding seven assists and four rebounds. He was 6 for 10 from beyond the arc, Novak was 4 for 9, while Smith and Kidd were each 3 for 8 from long range.

Miami had two field goals in the first seven minutes of the final quarter, and when New York decided to put it away, it was with 3-pointers, of course. Novak made one for a 100-84 lead, another to stretch the margin to 19 and then Chandler got all alone for a dunk to push the lead to 109-88 and send most of the building's occupants to the exits.

Smith hit a 3-pointer with 3:04 left to play, gestured toward the Heat bench, and the benches were cleared for subs moments later.

"We'll be fine. We'll be fine," James said. "But we can't act like what happened tonight or in Washington or some of the games that we even won that we probably shouldn't have won, we can't act like, `OK, we made those things happen.' We haven't played like we're capable of playing."

NOTES: Haslem started and made his first five shots, his first 10-point first half since March 2010. ... Anthony warmed up before the game, but seemed to have trouble catching passes. ... It was Miami's first home loss since Game 5 of last season's Eastern Conference finals. ... Miami had 14 turnovers, twice as many as the Knicks.

Notebook: Knicks 112, Heat 92

Zachary Paul, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:42 PM - Updated Fri Dec 07, 2012 12:08 AM

THE FACTS: Despite playing without Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 112-92 Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Guard Raymond Felton led the Knicks with 27 points and seven assists. Felton was one of six New York players to score in double-figures. Forward Steve Novak contributed 18 points off the bench while J.R. Smith added 13 points and six rebounds.

Anthony was a late scratch from the lineup when it was determined he was unable to play after sustaining a cut on his left finger late in Wednesday's victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. The injury occurred while he was chasing a loose ball.

The Knicks proved they could beat the defending champions without their leading scorer. They shot 45 percent from the field and only committed seven turnovers.

The Heat were led by forward LeBron James, who finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "The key to us playing good offense is that the ball has to move from side-to-side and we have enough guys who can make shots. I think our guys feel comfortable with who shoots the ball."
-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson.

THE STAT: The Knicks made 18 of 44 from 3-point range, their second impressive performance from behind the arc against the Heat this season.

TURNING POINT: With the Heat hanging around, the Knicks closed it out with a 9-0 run during a span of 2:46 early in the fourth quarter.

HOT: Felton turned the game into his personal showcase. He scored on every defender the Heat thew at him. He shot 10 of 20 from the field, including six 3-pointers. More importantly, it was his early scoring that set the tone.

NOT: Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were no-shows for the Heat. They combined to shoot 6 of 25 from the field, with the bulk of their production coming from the free throw line. Their struggles left too much of the load on James.

GOOD MOVE: Apparently, sitting Anthony was the perfect strategy. The Heat were viewing this as a statement game but once again came out looking like they lacked momentum. The fact the Knicks weren't at full strength could have played a factor.

BAD MOVE: Perhaps this wasn't the game for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to bring back the injured players. With the exception of Udonis Haslem, none of the game-time decision players (Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Norris Cole) had solid games.

NOTABLE: The Knicks have won eight of nine without Anthony ... The loss for the Heat was the worst at home during the Big Three era. The previous one was a 15-point loss to Memphis April 6 of last season ... The Knicks ended a five-game losing streak in Miami ... The Heat dropped to 8-1 at home this season, their first loss since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference against the Celtics.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Saturday vs. Hornets, Monday vs. Hawks, Wednesday vs. Warriors. For the Knicks, Saturday @ Bulls, Sunday vs. Nuggets, Tuesday @ Nets.

• Knicks: Shumpert, Stoudemire
• Heat: Harrellson, Pittman

• Knicks: Smith
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #56 Mark Ayotte, #16 David Guthrie
• Attendance: 19740
• Duration: 2:31