Knicks-Magic Preview

Posted Jan 04 2013 12:58PM

The New York Knicks made a lineup change to their frontcourt their last time out, and it could pay dividends against their next opponent.

The visiting Knicks are hoping a strong defensive effort carries over Saturday night when they try to extend the Orlando Magic's longest losing streak in seven seasons.

New York (22-10) had lost five of eight before coach Mike Woodson gave Marcus Camby his first start of the season Thursday. Camby had six rebounds in 15 minutes, and the Knicks credited the former Defensive Player of the Year with helping them limit San Antonio to its lowest point total of the season in a 100-83 home victory.

"He's obviously a defensive presence out there," said starting center Tyson Chandler, who had 10 points and 14 boards. "He takes up a lot of space, is able to recover having another shot blocker out there as well as another rebounder."

The Knicks enjoyed a 48-35 edge on the glass. A frontcourt featuring the 7-foot-1 Chandler and 6-11 Camby could help in containing emerging Orlando 7-footer Nikola Vucevic, who has 14 double-doubles and has totaled 40 points and 41 rebounds over his last two games.

That production for Vucevic has been hollow since the Magic (12-20) have dropped seven straight for the first time since an eight-game slide Feb. 6-22, 2006. All of the losses have come since they lost Glen Davis, who remains out with a sprained shoulder and worked out Thursday for the first time since the injury.

Orlando has lost five times by four points or fewer in this stretch without Davis, the team's second-leading scorer (16.0 ppg) and rebounder (7.9 rpg).

"They've played extremely hard over more than a few games," coach Jacques Vaughn said. "They're trying to put in the work and you want to reap the benefits of your work, and in this league, it's wins and losses."

Jameer Nelson returned Wednesday after missing two games with a sore hip and scored a season-high 32 points in a 96-94 defeat to Chicago. Orlando nearly fought back from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter.

"There are some good things that we've been doing lately and I think that if we keep playing like this way, we're going to get some wins and once we get some guys back, it's going to be even better," Vucevic said.

Nelson was out with an injury the first time these teams met Nov. 13, when the visiting Knicks overcame a 42-31 rebounding disparity and won 99-89 behind Carmelo Anthony's 25 points.

New York has had Anthony and Amare Stoudemire back the last two games. Anthony, averaging 33.8 points in his last nine contests, had missed two games with a hyperextended left knee while Stoudemire has come off the bench in his first action since knee surgery.

This is Stoudemire's first road game. He had 10 points and two boards in 20 minutes Thursday.

"It was better," Stoudemire said. "I was definitely more comfortable defensively after watching so much film and just studying and listening to the coaching staff. I felt much more comfortable defensively. Offensively it's going to come, that comes with just playing and repetition."

Magic second-year guard E'Twaun Moore is out with a sprained left elbow while forward Maurice Harkless could see action after Vaughn said he sat the rookie the last two games to give him rest.

While New York is averaging an NBA-low 11.1 turnovers, Orlando is forcing a league-worst 12.5 per game. That average is 8.6 during the Magic's current five-game home losing streak, their longest since a seven-game skid March 13-April 10, 2004.

Anthony scores 40, Knicks down Magic 114-106

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Jan 05 2013 11:13PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) New York coach Mike Woodson would like to see his team lean more on its defense to help it win games.

He'll live with a few more of Carmelo Anthony's offensive exhibitions in the meantime.

Anthony scored 16 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, helping the New York Knicks hold off the Orlando Magic 114-106 on Saturday night.

"Just a matter of us trying to get it going," Anthony said. "To get it going and doing whatever it takes to win a basketball game. That's what we did. ... It seemed like when it was time to really buckle down and try to win the basketball game, we did those things."

J.R. Smith added 18 points off the bench and Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Knicks have won two straight overall and four in a row over the Magic, dating back to last season. They also improved to 2-1 since Amar'e Stoudemire returned to action following knee surgery.

"We were down coming into the fourth, and we held them to 17 points. That's the sign of a team that didn't want to lose," Woodson said. "(They) picked it up defensively and did what they had to do, and offensively they made plays."

Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson each had 29 points to lead the Magic, and Nik Vucevic contributed 11 points and 18 rebounds. Afflalo got treatment at halftime after taking a hard fall, and scored 20 in the second half.

"Clearly we have to learn how to win, if that makes sense," Afflalo said. "Coach is doing a great job in terms of the schemes of the game plan. We're definitely competing hard as players, but we need to learn how to win."

Orlando outrebounded New York 45-40, but had 14 turnovers as it extended its longest losing streak of the season to eight games.

All of the losses have come since the injury of starting forward Glen Davis, who continues to rehab his sprained left shoulder.

Orlando has played well against some of the East's top teams, with narrow losses over its past three outings to Miami, Chicago and now New York.

It's hardly a consolation prize, though, for a team that may not get Davis back in action for at least another week, if not longer.

"I told our guys that this is about different challenges throughout the course of the season and everyone wants to win - it's what makes us competitors," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We did a lot of good things tonight."

The Magic flipped a four-point halftime deficit into an 89-81 lead entering the fourth.

The Knicks rallied using their size, going up 99-97 on a dunk by Chandler with 5:14 left.

Orlando's Josh McRoberts got tangled up underneath with Chandler a few trips later and was whistled for a technical. Steve Novak then knocked down the ensuing free throw to push the Knicks' lead to 102-98.

It was 106-102 when Jason Kidd swished a 3-pointer from the corner with less than two minutes to play.

Afflalo got a layup to drop a few possessions later, but Anthony quickly answered with a hanging 16-footer. The Magic were forced to foul and the Knicks then closed it out at the foul line.

Stoudemire played only 16 minutes, but finished with 11 points and four rebounds. His presence in the middle also forced the Magic to take more jumpers than they wanted to down the stretch.

Woodson said he is easing Stoudemire back into action.

"He's fine," Woodson said. "I'm playing him in spurts. I can't play him long minutes I thought he gave us some adequate minutes when he was in there and it's going to be a process...He'll back to his old self soon."

Nelson kept the Magic in the game for most of the second half, but was held scoreless in the final period.

Woodson started veteran Marcus Camby for the second straight game, citing the defensive presence he brought to the game early in their recent win over San Antonio.

Orlando had other plans to open the game Saturday.

Nelson scored eight of the Magic's first 11 points as Orlando built a 14-2 first quarter lead, forcing a quick New York timeout.

Orlando held its cushion for most of the half until a 9-0 spurt by the Knicks late in the second quarter gave them their largest lead at 55-48.

The Magic were just 7 of 19 from the field in the second quarter, with seven turnovers. New York took a 59-55 edge into halftime.

New York now heads home, where it will play three of its next four games.

"It's hard to win on the road, I don't care who you play," Woodson said. "The fact that we gutted it up when we had to in the fourth quarter tells me a lot. We've been down before and we always seem to come back. Tonight wasn't any different."

NOTES: Stoudemire honored his late brother, Hazell Stoudemire, by providing tickets for 30 children from their Lake Wales, Fla. hometown to watch Saturday's game. Hazell, known as "Big STAT", died in February of last year in a car accident. His birthday would have been Friday. "I think of my brother and the knowledge he gave me every day," Amar'e Stoudemire said. "I hope by giving these children this unique experience, I will pay forward some of the positive impact Hazell made on me and my family." ...Knicks F Rasheed Wallace sat out again as he continues to get treatment for a sore left foot. He remains day-to-day. Wallace hasn't played since Dec. 13. ...Vucevic leads with Magic with 15 double-doubles on the season.

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Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Notebook: Knicks 114, Magic 106

Dick Scanlon, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:28 PM - Updated Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:28 PM

THE FACTS: Carmelo Anthony scored 40 points to help the New York Knicks come back from a torrid start by the Orlando Magic and post a 114-106 victory Saturday night.

The Knicks (23-10) pulled away in the final minutes to hand the Magic (12-21) their eighth-straight loss.

J.R. Smith, who came off the bench for 18 points, put the Knicks ahead to stay with a 10-foot jump shot with 5:14 left, and Anthony's 16-footer with 1:05 remaining settled the issue.

Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson scored 29 points each for Orlando while Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 18 rebounds.

THE STAT: Anthony had 16 points in the fourth quarter, one fewer than the Magic.

QUOTABLE: "[Anthony is] probably the best scorer in the world right now . . . If I knew something to do, I'd have done it. So would every other person in the NBA."

-- Forward Josh McRoberts, one of the Magic players assigned to defending Anthony.

TURNING POINT: Amar'e Stoudemire, who played less than 17 minutes in his third game of the season, opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play. That started a 14-6 Knicks spurt that tied the game.

QUOTABLE II: "We were down coming into the fourth and we held them to 17 points. That's the sign of a team that didn't want to lose, picked it up defensively and did what they to do offensively to make plays."

-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson

HOT: The Magic made 11 of their first 13 shots to lead 25-13, their biggest lead of the game.

QUOTABLE III: "In the first quarter, they came out scorching-hot. They made a lot of shots. In the second quarter, we kind of buckled down and held them to 19 points. In the third quarter, they made shots and had some momentum going. In the fourth, we buckled down again, so it seemed like when it was time to really buckle down and win the basketball game, we did."

-- Carmelo Anthony

NOT: The Magic shot 7-for-24 and J.J. Redick missed six 3-point shots (he is 20-for-71 in his last eight games).

GOOD MOVE: The Knicks went to Anthony repeatedly down the stretch, recognizing that he was feeling it and that the Magic players defending him were getting no help.

BAD MOVE: Knicks rookie Pablo Prigioni complained about not getting a call, went down to the other end complaining, then complained all the way back up the floor as he was handling the ball.

ADVICE TO PABLO: That doesn't work -- and it may even backfire -- when the officials don't know who you are.

IN THE ARENA: Stoudemire treated 30 kids from his hometown of Lake Wales, one hour away from Orlando, to tickets and a chartered bus ride to the game.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: No word yet on when Stoudemire will get back in the starting lineup. "We've just got to take it a day at a time with him," Woodson said. "He'll be fine. He'll be back to his old self soon."

ROOKIE WATCH: Magic rookie Andrew Nicholson scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting . . . Prigioni had five points and two assists in 14 minutes.

NOTABLE: Nelson did not score in the fourth quarter . . . The Magic will have to beat a winning team on the road (Portland, Denver or L.A. Clippers) to avoid a double-digit losing streak.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Monday vs. Boston, Thursday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Chicago. For the Magic, Monday at Portland, Wednesday @ Denver, Saturday @ L.A. Clippers.

• Knicks: Felton, Shumpert
• Magic: Davis, Harrington

• Knicks: --
• Magic: McRoberts

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #45 Brian Forte, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 19171
• Duration: 2:11