With Rest Ahead, Knicks Fall to Equally Weary Kings
In theory, the Knicks could have eased into the N.B.A.'s All-Star weekend, playing one last game before the break against the Western Conference's worst team. But the idea that anything might come easily for them this season has long been proved a fallacy.
A 106-101 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden was just the latest evidence of the profound disarray the Knicks have found themselves in. These were the feeble Kings, losers of 12 of their last 15 games heading into Wednesday night. But it hardly mattered.
The Knicks have lost five of their last six games. At 20-32, they are 10th in the Eastern Conference, two spots out of the playoff zone. They now slink into the All-Star break, with the composition of their team and their coaching staff an open-ended question.
The Knicks enjoyed double-digit leads at various points on Wednesday but kept allowing the Kings back into the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gay went to his left and sank a pull-up 16-footer that tied the score, leaving 20.8 seconds on the clock. Carmelo Anthony had a last-second look from behind the 3-point line, but he clanged the shot off the back iron, sending the game to overtime. Anthony then missed all five of his shots in the extra period as the Knicks withered away.
'We've got to step away from the game for a little while, recharge our batteries and come back ready to play the second half of the season,' Knicks center Tyson Chandler said.
On Sunday, Anthony suffered through one of his worst games of the season against Oklahoma City, scoring a season-low 15 points in a 5-for-19 shooting performance. But he looked revived and unencumbered early in Wednesday's game, making 7 of his first 9 shots, scoring 17 points in the first quarter alone, getting 22 by halftime. He finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
The Knicks carried an 11-point lead into the second quarter, but they watched it fade while Anthony was on the bench. The Kings started the period on a 19-4 run, led by Jimmer Fredette (team-high 24 points), who had 15 before halftime. The Kings went up by 5, but the Knicks clawed back and restored a 54-48 lead at the halftime buzzer.
It went this way all night, imbuing an anxious vibe through the building. It was nothing new.
Coach Mike Woodson, whose job seemed to sink further into jeopardy, has fixated on injuries as the source of the team's headaches. Before the game he was asked what, besides injuries, had contributed to the Knicks poor' first half, and his meandering response circled back to injuries.
The Knicks were further stung in that department before the night was over. Iman Shumpert strained his left hip flexor during the second quarter and did not return to the game.
J. R. Smith, who collided with Kevin Durant's knee in the third quarter of the Knicks' loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon, received a protective mask early on Wednesday. He worked out with it before the game and found it awkward, and decided shortly before tipoff that he was not yet comfortable enough wearing it to play.
'I'm going to wait it out,' Smith said, 'and hopefully it heals more within the next week we've got, and I get more comfortable wearing the mask.'
Smith sounded almost apologetic about deciding to sit out, saying it was partly a mental issue for him. He was told that getting hit in the same spot on his face and further injuring the bone there could have permanent consequences on his eyesight.
'I'm not going to be able to play this game forever,' Smith said. 'I want to have my sight and be able to look after my kids.'
He added: 'I hate to say, it's somewhat of a selfish decision. But it is what it is.'
Smith was averaging 16.2 points and 3.0 assists per game since Jan. 11. His status coming out of the break will be one of the many question marks confronting the Knicks.
Before the game, Woodson acknowledged the general sense of uncertainty around the Feb. 20 trade deadline but declined to elaborate on what the Knicks might do before then. Woodson - who was not asked before the game, for once, about his own job status - noted that the team had to improve across the board.
'Everybody's got to play better, and I've got to coach better,' Woodson said. 'It's just that simple. We've got to all do our part to get where we need to go.'
That place, they hope, will ultimately be a playoff spot. But first comes some time to rest, to recuperate and to reflect on a shoddy first 52 games. Woodson, enveloped in a cloud of doubt, promised to stay serene.
'I'm just going to kind of sit still for three days and get my mind and body ready for after the break,' Woodson said. 'That's what I plan on doing. I'm not going to do a whole lot.'
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