(*T*M*C*) Here at last! Here at last! Thank God Almighty, this road trip ends here at last! How ironic that this battle would take place in Energy Solutions Arena. Over the last 4 games, New York hasn’t had the energy or any solutions while on these excursions. Marcus Camby agreed. “We have allowed a couple of these games to get away from us. Being under-handed isn’t an excuse.” Knicks Great, Walt “Clyde” Frazier gave some insight. “I’m surprised there hasn’t been a team only meeting by this time. The Knicks have struggled in the transition game. They haven’t sustained leads once teams have started to run & gun. Way too many offensive stupors.” In comes the Utah Jazz, 24-8 at home and 3-0 in the month of March. The New York Knicks haven’t won in Salt Lake City since 2007. That’s 5 straight loses. Head Coach Mike Woodson rung the alarm. “This is the getaway game. We didn’t come here to lose every game on this road trip. Are we willing to do anything and everything to turn this around? We can’t panic at this juncture. We’ve got 18 games left. We have to win our home games and hope to go .500 on the road when we get everybody back, if we get everybody back.”
The New York Knicks responded with a huge defensive effort in defeating the Utah Jazz 90-83. JR Smith returned from the dead with 20 points(9-10 FT) and 5 rebounds. Raymond Felton scored 19 points(8-12 FGs, 2-3 3-Pt), 4 assists, 3 steals. Chris Copeland added 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Kenyon Martin chipped in with 9 points(4-6 FGs), 9 rebounds. New York held Utah to 38.2% shooting from the field. Gordon Hayward was Utah’s biggest producer with 17 points(6-14 FGs, 3-6 3-Pts), 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Paul Millsap had 12 points(4-9 FGs, 4-4 FTs), 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Al Jefferson scored 10 points(4-13 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 11 rebounds, 3 assists. Mo Williams added 9 points(4-14 FGs, 1-2 3-Pt), 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Marvin Williams came off the bench with 10 points(4-7 FGs, 2-4 FTs) and 6 rebounds.
Once again, New York started the game crisp. Raymond Felton was very impressive recording 9 points(4-6 FGs, 1-1 3-Pt), 2 assists, 2 steals. Chris Copeland, who seems to be flourishing with the increased responsibility, was just as strong with 7 points. Kenyon Martin add 4 points and 4 rebounds. Utah’s Randy Foye, a 40% 3-Pt shooter, hit 2-3 from downtown for 6 points. Gordon Hayward, recently restored in the starting lineup, had 5 points. Al Jefferson contributed 4 points(2-3 FGs) and 4 rebounds. The Knicks forced 6 turnovers and ended the 1st Quarter leading 23-21.
Entering the 2nd Quarter, New York had too many lapses. Within the first minute, the Knicks had 2 team fouls and 2 turnovers. JR Smith was sleep walking going only 1-6 for the half. Iman Shumpert hit 2 from deep late to provide 6 points. Chris Copeland stayed aggressive when called upon with 4 points. Good News, New York forced another 8 turnovers, 14 for the half which generated 21 points. The pleasant surprise, Knicks out-rebounded the Jazz 18-10. Bad News, leading 42-36 with 1:32 remaining, New York was burned by an 8-0 run and 44-42 Utah advantage. Paul Millsap scored 6 points. Marvin Williams & Enes Kanter each provided 5 points off the bench.
The Knicks sprinted to an 8-2 run to open the 3rd Quarter. New York’s defense gave them a 50-46 lead at the 8:41 mark. The Jazz countered with an 8-0 run. Gordon Hayward hit 2 from long distance in less than a minute. He sparked Utah with 8 points. Al Jefferson tried to maintain the momentum as well with 6 points. The Jazz were up 54-50 with 6:11 left in the quarter. Suddenly, JR Smith awakes from his offensive coma by attacking the basket. His 10 points(6-6 FT) and 5 points from Kenyon Martin help to give New York a 66-63 lead as the 3rd Quarter ended.
New York took control of the game in the 4th Quarter on the strength of Raymond Felton’s 9 points and JR Smith’s 8 points. Kurt Thomas anchored the defense that held Utah to 20 points for the quarter, 39 points for the half. Thomas also chipped in with 4 points. Utah’s Alec Burks and Mo Williams each had 5 points but the Jazz never saw the lead again.
The stakes were high in this match-up. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Detroit Pistons earlier last night. A lost by New York would have caused a 1st place tie within the Atlantic Division. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers earlier. A win by Utah would have caused a tie for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Knicks flew home earlier this morning to prepare for the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. I don’t think I’ve seen Head Coach Mike Woodson this relieved. “Great win for our ball club, for our franchise. We just made plays tonight. Pablo(Prigioni) set the tone by putting heat on the ball. It’s a total team effort but our defense carried us. I gave Kurt Thomas the game ball. There aren’t too many games where he’s going to play 26 minutes. We were hungry for a win before going home.” (*T*M*C)
Written Shelby Spencer
The Morning Crap 