New York Knicks’ Report Card after win vs. Nets

Wednesday night was a nice bounce back win for the New York Knicks, one game after getting run off their home court for the first time by the Houston Rockets.

That home losing streak wouldn’t reach two as the Knicks sent a loud message to the Brooklyn Nets that they are still the kings of New York, with a 100-86 win at Madison Square Garden.

Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) and power forward Kris Humphries (43) defend New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler took the game over in the third quarter and the Knicks got back to playing outstanding team defense. Between that and the way the Knicks have been taking care of the basketball, you can see why at 19-6 they remain one of the top teams in the league.

Here’s a look at our daily report card for each Knicks’ player, following last night’s win against the Nets.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 45.8 %( 38-of-83)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 44.9% (35-of-78)

Three Point Percentage: 37.9% (11-of-29)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 40.0% (10-of-25)

Free Throw Percentage: 76.5% (13-of-17)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 66.7% (6-of-9)

Assists: 19-19 (Even)

Rebounds: 39-38 (Knicks +1)

Points in the paint: 36-32 (Knicks +4)

Individual Grades

Raymond Felton (8 points, 4-of-15 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers)

It was not one of Felton’s better nights in a Knicks’ uniform. He didn’t turn the ball over, but otherwise didn’t do much positive, including shooting only 26.7 percent from the floor. He only had four assists and did not do a good job guarding Deron Williams in the second half. Grade: C-

Jason Kidd (7 points, 2-of-9 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals)

For a change Kidd was not spectacular either. He took nine shots from behind the arc and only knocked down two of those. But in typical Kidd fashion he helped the team in other ways, including grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out five assists and recording three steals. Grade: C+

Ronnie Brewer (4 points, 1-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists)

Brewer didn’t do much on either side of the ball and Mike Woodson ended up going away from him in favor of Chris Copeland at times. The only positive note is that all of Brewer’s four rebounds came at the offensive end. For a guy who has the reputation for being a great defender, Brewer has been caught out of place a lot as of late. Grade: D

Carmelo Anthony (31 points, 12-of-22 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block)

Dec. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) reacts after being called for a flagrant foul on Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (not pictured) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

So much for having a bad ankle, as Anthony got off to a good start and sustained it throughout the evening. He did a lot of his damage when Gerald Wallace wasn’t guarding him, but honestly it didn’t matter. ‘Melo finished the night 31 points on 54.5-percent shooting, with three rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist. In addition he only turned the ball over once in 36 minutes of action. Welcome back ‘Melo. Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler (16 points, 7-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks)

Chandler was the real difference maker on this night. Chandler was a real difference-maker on defense for the Knicks. When he wasn’t blocking shots, he was altering them as the Nets only scored 32 points in the paint. He and Brook Lopez both finished with good stat lines, but Chandler made much more of an impact on the game. Chandler finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks and shot 63.6 percent from the floor. Grade: A

Chris Copeland (8 points, 3-of-4 shooting)

Copeland was the first player off the bench and continues to produce, making 75 percent of his shots, including sticking a big three in the Knicks big third quarter run. On the night the Knicks bench scored 34 points and shot 57.1 percent from the field and Copeland was a big part of that. Grade: B

J.R. Smith (19 points, 7-of-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists)

Smith was the spark off the bench the Knicks needed and he was efficient, ending the night with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and shot an efficient 63.6 percent from the floor.  No that wasn’t a misprint, Smith was very efficient and turned the ball over only once (also not a misprint). It’s hard to say anything negative about Smith’s performance, but if he can continue to play this way, the Knicks are very dangerous. Grade: A

Pablo Prigioni (6 points, 2-of-5 shooting, 2 assists)

Prigioni played 14 minutes, knocked down a pair of shots from behind the arc and did a good job defending the ball. That’s all Mike Woodson needs from him. Grade: B

Kurt Thomas (1 point, 1 rebound)

Thomas played just eight minutes and played some tough defense. He wasn’t asked to do much. Grade: C

James White (0-of-1 shooting)

White played only two minutes and wasn’t out there long enough to give a grade to. Grade: Incomplete

Marcus Camby– DNP, Sore Left Foot

Rasheed Wallace– DNP, Sore Left Foot

Steve Novak– DNP, Flu