5. More Adjustments On Friday night, Iman Shumpert suffered a hip contusion in the defeat to Orlando. The good news is the injury does not appear to be serious but the bad news was Shumpert’s unavailability for Sunday’s matinee against the Nuggets. Shumpert has enjoyed a strong start to the season and from an offensive point, he has provided the Knicks deep shooting and playmaking. Head coach Derek Fisher was forced to adjust the starting lineup again and decided to place J.R. Smith at the 2 next to Shane Larkin, Carmelo Anthony, Quincy Acy, and Samuel Dalembert.
4. Limiting Fast Break Points Entering Sunday’s contest, the Nuggets ranked in the top 10 in fast break points scored. Denver presented a unique roster with speed and athleticism up and down the roster. New York’s style of offense and defense on this specific day limited the Nuggets to just 11 fast break points.
3. Second Quarter Dominance Both teams combined for 62 points in the first frame and it looked as if the home crowd was going to witness an offensive battle on the Garden floor. The second quarter was a completely different story and quickly altered the narrative in this game. The Nuggets only scored eight points and were saved by a buzzer beating layup from Ty Lawson, who recorded Denver’s only field goal in the period. The Knicks outscored the Nuggets 31-8 while Denver shot 1-of-16 from the floor. At the half, New York owned a 62-39 lead and never looked back in the victory.
2. J.R. Smith’s Impact
With Shumpert sidelined and Jose Calderon out of the lineup, J.R. Smith needed to deliver an impactful performance in order for the Knicks to snap the seven-game slide. As a starter, Smith answered the call by scoring a season-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor to go along with four rebounds and four assists. One of the most important aspects to Smith’s productivity was the eight free throw attempts and six points from the stripe.
1. Melo’s Hot Streak
Anthony roasted his former team with 28 points and nine boards on Sunday afternoon. After some struggles early in the season, Anthony has caught fire over his last three games by averaging 33.7 points on 63.2 percent shooting from the floor and 62.5 percent from downtown. Inside the Knicks locker room on Sunday, Anthony admitted to feeling more comfortable operating in the Triangle Offense. The All-Star is also displaying more aggression on the offensive side of the floor, mixing his midrange shot attempts with a nice dose of inside play in the box.