Knicks (6-36), Pelicans (20-21)
NEW YORK – The end of New Orleans’ road trip featured an eerily similar result as the opener, complete with a back-breaking three-pointer by an opposing guard in the final minute, leading to a frustrating defeat for the Pelicans. Last Monday in Boston, Celtics rookie Marcus Smart buried a left-corner trey to virtually end New Orleans’ hopes for a win. This time, Knicks veteran point guard Jose Calderon knocked down a momentous trifecta from the right corner to give New York a 96-92 edge with only 32 seconds to go. As a result, the Pelicans wrapped up their season-most five-game road trip with a disappointing 2-3 record, with a loss to Philadelphia in between the narrow defeats to Boston and New York. The Pelicans also beat Detroit and Toronto, the two toughest opponents on paper during the Eastern Conference trek.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Carmelo Anthony drained a pair of free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining, giving the Knicks a three-possession advantage at 99-92. New York fans began celebrating as the home team ensured itself of a win that ended a franchise-record 16-game losing streak.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Eric Gordon came to play early in the MLK Day game, one of the main reasons New Orleans didn’t fall behind by a huge margin in the first half, though they trailed 53-41 at intermission. Gordon scored 16 of those points. Gordon finished with 20 points, coming up one shy of his season-best 21 points. Tyreke Evans also helped keep the visitors in the hunt, winding up with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Coming off consecutive stellar games in Philadelphia and Toronto, Alexis Ajinca had a sluggish start Monday, going scoreless in the first half. However, Ajinca energized the Pelicans in the second half, scoring eight points. He also grabbed a total of 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“The plays we made last night, we just didn’t make them tonight.” – Monty Williams contrasting Monday’s loss in New York, which included an ultimately unsuccessful fourth-quarter rally, with Sunday’s comeback win at Toronto
“They were just making shots, being assertive, moving the ball. They’ve been on a losing streak. I think they had a time where they said, enough’s enough. They came out and played hard. When you do that, somehow shots magically go in and the basketball gods kind of help you out a little bit.” – Quincy Pondexter giving credit to the Knicks for their effort
“It’s always disappointing. We know what we’re capable of as a team. We didn’t have that many assists tonight, like 13 or so. The ball wasn’t moving as much as it should. We definitely wanted this game after what we did last night.” – Eric Gordon on reaction to loss to New York
BY THE NUMBERS
8-for-27: New Orleans three-point shooting as a team. Ryan Anderson accounted for nearly half of both numbers, going 3-for-13.
46-32: The Pelicans’ advantage in paint points over the Knicks. Combined with a 50-34 rebounding edge, NOLA was excellent inside, but New York compensated by shooting much more accurately from the perimeter. The Knicks sank 10 three-pointers.
4: New York turnovers, a surprisingly crisp performance by a New York team that is trying to blend together many unfamiliar faces.
FAN TWEET OF THE GAME
The Pelicans couldn’t convert on a couple key three-point attempts during make-or-break time in the fourth quarter. After the game, Monty Williams said he wasn’t ready to second-guess his team’s shot selection; he wanted to watch the tape before determining if New Orleans could’ve come up with better looks in those critical spots. From @Jaborandi3: “We were too much believing in three-pointers! But most of the three-point shots are missed!”
#TAKEFLIGHT QUESTION OF THE NIGHT
Halfway through the 2014-15 season, what’s your assessment of the Pelicans’ small forwards?
From @JasonQuigs: “I 100% believe that Cunningham and Pondexter are the answers at SF for us for the future.”
From @DanielVeuleman: “(They are) not really the problem or the solution.”