New York Knicks’ Report Card in loss vs. Kings

The New York Knicks were on the other end of  a buzzer beater Friday night in Sacramento as James Johnson’s buzzer beater sent the Knicks home losers, after erasing a 27-point deficit.

December 28, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward James Johnson (52) dribbles the ball past New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni (9) in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Knicks 106-105. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the Knicks should have never been down 27 to the Kings to the first place.

Playing once again without Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks allowed 71 first half points before their furious second half comeback.

With that being said it is time to hand out individual grades in our daily report card and to no ones surprise, there won’t be many high grades given out on the defensive end.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 49.4%( 41-of-83)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 45.3% (39-of-86)

Three Point Percentage: 36.7% (11-of-30)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 50.0% (15-of-30)

Free Throw Percentage: 60.0% (12-of-20)

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

Assists: 28-26 (Kings +2)

Rebounds: 46-34 (Knicks +12)

Points in the paint: 34-30 (Kings +4)

Individual Grades

Jason Kidd (16 points, 6-of-13 shooting, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers)

It was a bit uncharacteristic for Kidd, who only knocked down 4-of-11 shots from behind the arc and committed five turnovers on the night. And eveyone was bad guarding the perimeter and Kidd certainly played a part inn that. But other than that it was Kidd filling the stat sheet as usual. Grade: B-

Ronnie Brewer (0 points, 0-for-1 shooting, 4 rebounds)

Brewer only played 11 minutes and as he has been lately, extremely ineffective. He wasn’t involved in the offense and was out there early when every Kings player had success from the perimeter. Grade: F

James White (4 points, 2-of-3 shooting, 1 assist, 1 steal)

Dec. 26, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler reacts as he talks to a referee in the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

White started for Anthony again and only played nine minutes. He made a pair of shots but didn’t do anything to make an impact. Grade: D

Kurt Thomas (0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block)

Thomas played only 13 minutes, which seems to be his limit, and didn’t take a shot from the floor. He did his usual though- play some defense and grab a few rebounds. Grade: C

Tyson Chandler (21 points, 9-of-13 shooting, 18 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)

Chandler was outstanding once again, except from the free-throw line where his six misses came back to haunt the Knicks. Other wise he was efficient from the floor and outstanding on the glass. DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double, but Chandler made it difficult on him. Another great game, but the misses from the line will cost his grade. Grade: B+

Chris Copeland (23 points, 8-of-16 shooting)

Copeland once again made a case for more playing time in the future by being an offensive spark off the Knicks’ bench. But he didn’t do much other than score. In 41 minutes, Copeland grabbed only one rebound and dished out only one assist. Grade: B

Steve Novak (11 points, 4-of-7 shooting, 2 rebounds)

Novak was more involved in the offense, which is a good thing. But in a game like that, his skill set offered very little help in other areas. It was good to see him get seven shots off though. Grade: C+

Marcus Camby (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks)

It was another example of what Camby can bring to this team on the defensive end of the floor, blocking four shots in 11 minutes. I would have liked to see him out there a little more and would have liked to see Camby grab more than two rebounds, but he ws effective in the little time he received. Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 0-of-2 shooting, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal)

Prigioni didn’t score, but the Knicks played well with him out there. They were a +17 with him on the floor and Prigioni dished out nine assists in only 18 minutes. I will take that from him. Grade: B+

J.R. Smith (28 points, 11-of-25 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists)

Smith wasn’t efficient from the floor again, missing 14-of-25 shots, but he led the team in scoring and played a game-high 43 minutes. But it hasn’t been Smith just jacking up bad shots lately as he had another complete outing with good rebound and assists numbers. Grade: B+

Rasheed Wallace- DNP (foot)

Carmelo Anthony- DNP (knee)

Raymond Felton- DNP (finger)

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