5. Harden’s Big Night With Dwight Howard sidelined, the Rockets relied on their primary offensive weapon to fuel their offensive attack on Monday night. James Harden delivered with 36 points in the Houston win. The Rockets shooting guard was deadly from deep where he sunk seven 3-pointers on the night and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to push his squad to its 11th win this season.
4. Third Quarter Success The Knicks closed the second quarter strong on an 8-2 run to close the gap to just five points heading into the locker room at the half. New York’s momentum carried over to the third frame as the road team raced out to a 12-6 run and took a 58-57 lead despite Carmelo Anthony’s absence from the lineup. The Knicks managed to outscore Houston 23-18 in the third quarter while providing themselves with a golden opportunity to steal a win on the road. Unfortunately, the game outcome did not work in New York’s favor but the valiant effort helped to avoid the dreaded third quarter of doom for the orange and blue.
3. Guard Heavy Lineup When Anthony did not return to the lineup, head coach Derek Fisher decided to feature a guard heavy lineup. The move paid off in the third quarter as Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, and J.R. Smith increased the Knicks pace of play and immediately placed the Rockets back on their heels. Pablo Prigioni was also an impact player off the pine as he finished with eight points in 16 minutes of action.
2. Wear Steps Up
Travis Wear was needed on Monday night to fill the void Anthony left at the small forward spot. In 17 minutes of action, Wear hit 4-of-7 shots from the floor and scored nine points. Depending on Anthony’s availability, Wear could play a significant role in games against the Mavericks and Thunder on this current road trip. Obviously, Wear is not going to generate the same type of offensive firepower as Anthony but his size and versatility can limit the drop-off at the position.
1. Melo Injury Update Late in the first half of Monday’s contest, Anthony winced with pain after hitting what seemed to be a routine jumper in Houston. The Knicks All-Star admitted to dealing with some knee pain after the loss in Milwaukee but back spasms caused Anthony to miss the entire second half on Monday. Anthony was in so much pain; he could not address the media following the defeat. New York’s leading scorer joined the team on the flight to Dallas and Fisher said Anthony would be reevaluated in 24-48 hours. The Knicks will practice in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon before facing the Mavericks on Wednesday night.