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Knicks-Hornets Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO

Posted Nov 19 2012 12:13PM Having bounced back from their first loss, the New York Knicks may be poised to start stringing together wins again. The Knicks open a three-game trip looking to hand the New Orleans Hornets a fourth consecutive defeat Tuesday night. Two days after a 105-95 loss to Memphis, New York (7-1) defeated Indiana 88-76 on Sunday. Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and nine rebounds as the Knicks overcame a season-low 36.7-percent shooting performance thanks to another strong defensive effort. New York, which led by as many as 20, held the Pacers to 30 first-half points while forcing 19 turnovers and limiting them to 39.4 percent shooting overall. "Last year we let this game slip away," said center Tyson Chandler, who pulled down nine rebounds. "It's definitely the maturity of the team and obviously the maturity of the players. We got a lot of vets around here that understand that these games add up. "These are the games at the end of the year when you are in that dog fight and jockeying for position, these are the games that put you over or under." New York ranks among the NBA leaders in allowing 90.0 points per game and holding opponents to 43.0 percent shooting. "On the defensive end for us to be in sync the way we are right now, especially this early in the season, that's a good thing," Anthony said. "We want to keep building on that." Anthony has 46 points in the last two games after he was held to nine in a win over San Antonio on Thursday. He's averaged 26.3 and 46.0 percent shooting in 12 road games against the Hornets. A groin injury kept Anthony out of an 89-85 loss to New Orleans on Feb. 17 that snapped New York's six-game winning streak in the series. The Knicks, 3-1 on the road this season, have won three straight in New Orleans by an average of 10.4 points. The Hornets have given up 109.0 points a contest during their three-game skid, falling 117-113 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday. New Orleans allowed 88.6 in its first five contests. Anthony Davis had a career-high 28 points with 11 rebounds and Ryan Anderson scored 20 off the bench as New Orleans shot a season-high 53.2 percent. However, it committed 20 turnovers and allowed the Bucks to go 13 of 25 from 3-point range. The Hornets' last three opponents have shot 44.6 percent from beyond the arc. "We'll fix it," Davis said. "We'll go back to the drawing board, look at film and see what we can do better. "We stayed in the game (Saturday) the whole time. We had the lead sometimes. We've got to learn from our mistakes. We've got to talk more. Our communication's got to get better." The rookie was 10 of 14 from the field after going 6 of 21 and scoring 16 points in his previous two games. Acquired from Orlando in the offseason, Anderson has averaged 20.0 points and 54.1 percent shooting in the last four contests.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Surging Knicks easily top Hornets, 102-80

By BRETT MARTEL

Posted Nov 21 2012 1:09AM NEW ORLEANS (AP) Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and the New York Knicks extended the undermanned New Orleans Hornets' losing streak to four games with a 102-80 victory Tuesday night. Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith each added 15 points. Felton scored all of his points on five 3-pointers as New York hit 14 3s as a team. Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who've won two straight since their first loss of the season and are 8-1 for only the third time in franchise history. The other two times, the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons, they won championships. Ryan Anderson, starting in place of Anthony Davis, led the Hornets with 15 points. Davis was ruled out shortly before tip-off because tenderness in his left ankle. Rookie Austin Rivers added a career-high 14 points and Brian Roberts 13 for New Orleans. It might not have mattered much if the Hornets had Davis' shot blocking ability at their disposal. The Knicks scored only 20 points in the paint, but still shot 44.6 percent (37 of 83) thanks to stellar jump shooting. They finished 14 of 36 (38.9 percent) from 3-point range. The Knicks came in attempting just more than 26 3s a game this season and seem to have figured out the art of positioning themselves for long rebounds off of missed perimeter shots. New York had 13 offensive rebounds, 17 second-chance points and badly outrebounded New Orleans overall, 49-36. The Knicks led most of the game, going up 12, at 29-17 at the end of the opening quarter while the Hornets went more than four minutes without scoring. Anthony scored 19 on 8 of 9 shooting in the first quarter alone, taking advantage of his matchup against rookie Darius Miller later in the period. At one point, Anthony spun past Miller on the dribble and drained a floater in the lane while being fouled by Hornets 7-foot Jason Smith. The Knicks led by 14 early in the second quarter before the Hornets briefly made it competitive again with a 13-0 run. The spurt included two 3s by Anderson, the second giving New Orleans a 36-34 lead. It was still as close as 43-42 late in the second quarter after a tough driving floater by Rivers, but Felton made a pair of quick 3s during an 8-0 run that also included an 18-footer by Anthony, and the Knicks were quickly back up by nine before taking a 53-48 lead into halftime. New York then opened the third quarter on a 10-4 run that included another Anthony jumper and Ronnie Brewer's 3 to make it 63-52. The lead remained in double digits from there on, growing as large as 26 on James White's fast-break dunk in the fourth quarter. NOTES: Davis is day to day and he is traveling with the Hornets on a four-game road trip that begins Wednesday night at Indiana. ... Knicks coach Mike Woodson was called for a technical foul in the first quarter by official Scott Foster. Woodson and Foster could be seen bickering shortly before the technical was assessed. ... Anthony has led New York in scoring in eight of the Knicks' first nine games. ...The Hornets have now given up 100 or more points in each loss during their current four-game skid.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited