Maybe it was the post-holiday doldrums, but the New York Knicks somehow managed to turn a red-hot start against the Atlanta Hawks Saturday into a spectacular collapse. After starting the game on a blistering 26-6 run, they ended up losing 117-98, an epic 39-point swing. That was thanks in part to a 27-12 run by the Hawks in the third period, but as Carmelo Anthony sees it, it had more to do with the Knicks’ overall effort than anything else. Via Marc Berman of The New York Post:
“We got to want it more,’’ Anthony said. “This is a stretch we could define ourselves. We’re playing playoff teams the next couple of weeks. If we want to be a good team, we’re going to have to start winning some of these games.’’
After missing the previous game with a sprained ankle, Anthony put in 18 points on efficient 7-of-12 shooting and was one of five players in double figures, but the Knicks committed 22 costly turnovers that turned into 18 fast-break points for the Hawks and got pounded in the paint for 62 points to their 32.
The Knicks have now lost three straight and seven of their last eleven as they sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re 5-13 against teams above .500, which is alarming given that their next seven games are against teams with winning records. Next up, they play the second game of their back-to-back in Boston against the Celtics Sunday.
(Via The New York Post)
