Don’t look now, but Earl Smith is currently having his best season ever as a pro. And just like he did in Charlotte earlier this month, J.R. saved the Knicks again in the final seconds of Wednesday night’s game with a miraculous jumper. Carmelo Anthony and Ray Felton both sat out in Phoenix nursing injuries from New York’s Christmas Day showdown in Hollywood, leaving J.R. as the primary offensive threat versus the Suns. With 10.6 seconds remaining, the man who never met a shot he wouldn’t take tied the game up at 97-97.
For whatever reason, Phoenix failed to run the clock out leaving one second for a catch and heave. J.R. did just that fading away out of bounds, and once again rescued the Knicks from an ugly loss despite their shorthanded lineup. It wasn’t just his late game heroics which helped the Knicks improve to 21-8. Smith finished the night with a gaudy stat line of 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals. For these keeping score at home, Earl’s last five games have seen him average 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals all while shooting 82% from the free throw line.
And he’s also yet to post any obscene pictures on his Instagram page of half-naked Hip-Hop vixens, which is actually a disappointment. There’s still time though. Who knows what this guy has planned for Valentine’s Day.