Jazz-Knicks Preview

Posted Feb 06 2012 11:38AM

A much-needed victory may have taken some of the pressure off coach Mike D'Antoni, but in order to record rare back-to-back wins the New York Knicks will have to overcome a big absence.

After his brother was killed early Monday in a car crash in Florida, Amare Stoudemire won't be available when the Knicks face the Utah Jazz later that evening at Madison Square Garden.

New York (9-15) has been one of the biggest disappointments of the NBA season so far. Instead of building on last season's playoff appearance and challenging for the Atlantic Division title, the Knicks have dropped 11 of 14 as speculation grows about D'Antoni's job security.

Little-used Jeremy Lin may have given the embattled coach a reprieve Saturday, coming off the bench to score a career-high 25 points with seven assists and five rebounds to power New York's 99-92 win over New Jersey.

"Jeremy came out and gave us a great spark off the bench, and that was phenomenal for us," Stoudemire said.

The Knicks have only one stretch of consecutive wins this season - a four-game streak from Jan. 6-11 - and they'll be shorthanded as they try to build on Saturday's victory. Stoudemire returned to Florida to be with his family after his 35-year-old brother was killed early Monday in a car accident.

It's unclear when Stoudemire will rejoin the Knicks - a Wednesday visit to Washington is next - but fill-in Jared Jeffries likely won't be the only new starter on the floor Monday. Lin is expected to be in the starting five after his stunning performance Saturday.

Prior to finding his stroke against the Nets, the second-year guard from Harvard had averaged just 3.6 points - making 8 of 20 shots - in nine appearances. He hit 10 of 19 versus New Jersey, and may have a starting spot for the foreseeable future until Baron Davis is fit enough to make his season debut.

"He gives us a good feel," D'Antoni said of Lin. "I had my doubts, but we just stayed with it and he has some of the qualities that we needed."

While Lin is trying to prove he can contribute on a regular basis, Carmelo Anthony is trying to bounce back from another lackluster effort. The star forward made just 3 of 15 shots from the field and finished with 11 points Saturday in New York's third game in as many days.

He had 26 in each of the previous two games, but those ended in losses to Chicago and Boston.

Anthony has been marred by poor performances at times, and he's shooting 39.8 percent from the floor - well off his 45.7 career rate.

He's averaged 31.0 points on 51.5 percent shooting in his last five meetings with Utah (13-9), including a 34-point performance in a 131-109 win at MSG on March 7 to end a four-game slide in the series.

The Knicks and Jazz split two meetings last season, but New York has won six of seven at The Garden.

The Jazz are trying to build on Saturday's 96-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers after dropping four of the previous six.

Al Jefferson leads Utah with 18.5 points, while his 9.2 rebounds rank second. The center had 18 points and matched a season high with 13 rebounds in the win over the Lakers.

Jefferson is averaging 25.7 points and 9.7 boards in his last three games against the Knicks. He was outstanding in last season's visit to MSG, totaling 36 points and 12 boards.

Earl Watson is trying to continue shaking off a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for Thursday's 119-101 loss at Golden State. The reserve point guard had eight points while dishing out a season-high 11 assists Saturday.

"Man, Earl Watson isn't even supposed to be playing right now, that's the crazy thing about it. He's out there on one leg," forward Paul Millsap said.

Lin scores 28, carries short-handed Knicks again

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Posted Feb 06 2012 11:27PM

NEW YORK (AP) Mike D'Antoni shook his fists in the air as Jeremy Lin's clutch shot fell through the net.

It wasn't just the basket that had D'Antoni giddy. It's the feeling that he's found the point guard who can get his offense running.

"It's fun, you can actually draw a play up and (say), this might work," D'Antoni said. "So it was good."

Lin scored a career-high 28 points in his first career start, Steve Novak added a season-best 19, and the New York Knicks overcame the absence of Amare Stoudemire and early loss of Carmelo Anthony to beat the Utah Jazz 99-88 on Monday night.

Stoudemire left the team to join his family in Florida after older brother Hazell was killed there earlier Monday in a car crash, then Anthony left after just six minutes with a strained right groin.

Despite missing two All-Stars and using a lineup of second-teamers, the Knicks won their second straight thanks to another remarkable performance from Lin, the former Harvard point guard.

"Basketball's so fun when you play on a team where people want to work together and work through tough times and overcome them and have victories like this," Lin said. "This one was ugly and we lost a couple of players, but this team has a lot of will."

Al Jefferson scored 22 points in a disappointing effort for the Jazz, who may have lost their edge when they saw who the Knicks were missing.

"As you seen out there tonight, you come in here with that attitude, you're in trouble," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "These guys can play, man, and they got pride. They get an opportunity to play and they make the most of their minutes.

"They stuck it to us, really."

Going nowhere all season without a real point guard, the Knicks turned to Lin on Saturday against New Jersey, and he delivered 25 points. He was even better in this one in front of a crowd that again chanted his name much of the night, adding a career-best eight assists.

He made the biggest basket of a game, a desperation 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 1:58 remaining that gave the Knicks a 95-86 lead. He previously converted two three-point plays in the period, the latter pushing the lead to 10 with 4:29 left.

He did have eight turnovers, surely influenced by fatigue while playing 45 minutes, but D'Antoni was going to keep riding him.

"I'm riding him like freakin' Secretariat," D'Antoni said.

Lin and Novak, whose photocopied bios are included in the game notes package because they were signed too late to make the media guide, helped the Knicks overcome the absence of about 42 points per game from their two stars. So did Jared Jeffries, who added 13 points and eight rebounds while battling the much bigger Utah front line.

"It wasn't the starters out there but it was definitely guys that are aware that this is the NBA, where on any given night any five can beat any five," Novak said. "That's kind of an understood thing in the NBA. I don't think it will typically happen, that a team that has their starters against a team that doesn't will win. But I think tonight we just really pushed together, played well and were able to get the win."

D'Antoni decided to start Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, earlier Monday, and the position could be his for a while. Baron Davis, the expected starter when he becomes available, revealed that an infected right elbow had recently caused him to stop his workouts and it is unknown when he will resume practicing. D'Antoni said it would probably be a week to 10 days from the time he returns to practice to when he's ready to play in games.

The Knicks led 19-16 after one, gradually increasing it to 37-22 midway through the second quarter as the Jazz simply couldn't get any offense going. Novak came on to play the final 5:06 and scored 10 points, with Lin driving into the lane and kicking it out to him in the corner for a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left that gave New York a 51-38 halftime lead.

Jefferson grabbed only four rebounds in 35 minutes. Power forward Paul Millsap was limited to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting before fouling out.

"We dug ourselves in a deep hole. You can't do that no matter who's on the floor," Jefferson said. "We're all professionals. Everybody is a pro. So no matter they didn't have their star player, they're still a team that you just can't go out there and take for granted. We dug ourselves in a deep hole and they got the momentum, got their confidence up and made shots."

Tyson Chandler picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench about 1 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, leaving the Knicks with a lineup of Lin, Novak, Landry Fields, Bill Walker and Jeffries. The Jazz capitalized and nearly caught all the way up, pulling to 75-73 with 45 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Raja Bell, who scored 11 in the period and finished with 15.

NOTES: A half-dozen members of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, including receiver Hakeem Nicks, were brought onto the court for an ovation during a second-quarter timeout. ... The Knicks held a moment of silence before the game for Hazell Stoudemire. The Knicks don't know when Amare Stoudemire will return to the team. ... Utah visits Indiana on Tuesday.

Notebook: Knicks 99, Jazz 88

Posted Monday February 6, 2012 11:15PM

Adam Zagoria, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Who needs Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony when you have Jeremy Lin?

With both players out of action, Lin, the newly minted Knicks starting point guard, scored 13 of his career-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks won their second straight, 99-88, over the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden.

Playing nearly 45 minutes, Lin scored his career-high for the second straight game, following a 25-point, five-assist performance in Saturday's win over the Nets.

Steve Novak (19 points) and Jared Jeffries (13 points, eight rebounds) both enjoyed season-highs thanks to Lin's passing and the team's overall ball movement sans Anthony.

Stoudemire is on an indefinite leave of absence after the death of his brother, Hazell, Monday in a car crash in Florida. Anthony left the game in the first quarter with a strained right groin.

QUOTABLE: "I'm riding him like friggin' Secretariat."
-- Mike D'Antoni on Lin.

THE STAT: The Knicks bench, which has struggled all season, scored 40 points, highlighted by a combined 30 from Novak and Bill Walker (11). Utah's reserves managed 19 points.

TURNING POINT: After the Jazz cut a 15-point, first-half lead to 80-78 in the fourth, the Knicks rattled off a 12-2 run to extend the edge to 92-80. They did so despite going 0-for-4 from the stripe during the spurt. Lin scored five points during the run, including a nifty layup in which he attacked the basket with a left-handed dribble but finished with his right hand. He was fouled and added a free throw to push the lead to 90-80 and was promptly serenaded with chants of "MVP."

With time expiring on the shot clock, Lin later hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 95-86, driving the Garden fans into a frenzy.

QUOTABLE II: "Yeah, that's kind of crazy. The one time I don't follow through, it goes in, so I'm going to have to maybe change my form a little bit."
-- Lin on the 3-pointer.

QUOTABLE III: "What Jeremy is doing is incredible. Everybody is playing their natural position. The ball is moving much better, we're having a nice flow, a nice tempo."
-- Tyson Chandler on Lin.

WHO'S HOT: After going for 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in Saturday's 99-92 win over the Nets, Lin went 10-for-17 from the field and 7-for-9 from the stripe. He did tally eight turnovers, but was critical down the stretch for the Knicks.

WHO'S NOT: Jeffries went 3-for-9 and missed numerous layups from a variety of positions, in transition and under the basket. Still, D'Antoni defended him for playing hard and drawing five charges.

QUOTABLE IV: "Anybody who boos Jared Jeffries has got to re-examine their life a little bit."
-- D'Antoni

NOTABLE: Baron Davis disclosed before the game that he sustained a cut to his right elbow and subsequent infection that led to his setback. Davis said he hoped to practice "soon," but when asked if he would return this week he said, "I'm not sure, I would hope so."

NOTABLE II: D'Antoni said Anthony had a groin strain and listed him as "day-to-day."

INSIDE THE ARENA: Numerous members of the Super Bowl champion Giants were in the house, including Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Corey Webster, Bear Pascoe, Michael Boley, Mathias Kiwanuka, Aaron Ross and Mark Herzlich. During the second quarter, they received a standing ovation and were introduced to Queen's "We Are the Champions."

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Wednesday @ Washington, Friday vs. L.A. Lakers, Saturday @ Minnesota. For the Jazz, Tuesday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Feb. 12 @ Memphis.

• Jazz: --
• Knicks: Davis, Harrellson

• Jazz: --
• Knicks: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #7 Kevin Fehr, #71 Rodney Mott
• Attendance: 19763
• Duration: 2:15