Sixers can't stop Carmelo Anthony and fall to Knicks
NEW YORK - Unfortunately for the 76ers, it was Carmelo Time. The New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony scored whenever and against whomever. His biggest basket was an 11-foot baseline jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 110-109 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
NEW YORK _ Unfortunately for the 76ers, it was Carmelo Time.
The New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony scored whenever and against whomever. His biggest basket was an 11-foot baseline jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 110-109 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
The Sixers had an opportunity to win. But Kyle O'Quinn intercepted the inbounds pass close to the basket right before time expired.
Anthony was unstoppable, finishing with 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting. He also had six rebounds, two assists, and one block in 36 minutes, 56 seconds.
"He's a handful," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "He is so intelligent and gifted. … You look at the shot he made with .03 left on the clock, Robert [Covington] is right there.
"That is Melo. He is a gifted isolation scorer."
He was able to create some separation from the Sixers small forward before hitting the shot that brought the sellout crowd of 19,812 to its feet.
"I got a good look at the rim," Anthony said. "Once I had that clear path it was just a matter of me getting the space I need. And it was a matter of me making a shot."
The Sixers (22-36) opened the game with Dario Saric on the 14th-year veteran. That was a disaster. So they put Covington, their best perimeter defender, on Anthony. Covington also struggled.
The Sixers then decided to switch reserve center Richaun Holmes onto Anthony. He still scored. Saric drew the assignment again in the fourth quarter before Covington defended him, again.
"Everybody knows his midrange game is one of the best in the league," Saric said. "We tried, but sometimes you have a superstar like that … you cannot do so much.
"We played good defense on him, but he scored."
Anthony actually could have scored more points. The small forward took his foot off the gas in the second and fourth quarters before scoring the Knicks' final two shots.
It was obvious from the start that the Sixers couldn't guard him.
Seventeen of his points came on 7-for-10 shooting in the first quarter. He was on cruise control in the second quarter, attempting only two shots. He had 32 points through three quarters after scoring 11 in the third quarter. Then he attempted just four shots in the fourth quarter.
His performance helped the Knicks (24-35) snap a two-game skid. They also got their second win in eight games.
The Sixers did get solid performances from Jahlil Okafor and Saric.
Okafor had a great start that propelled him to finishing with a season-high 28 points and 10 rebounds. Eleven of his points and six of his rebounds came in the first quarter. The center was unavailable for comment for the second consecutive game.
Saric finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds. It was his fourth straight game with a double-double. He has now scored 18 or more points in seven consecutive games.
The Sixers appeared cooked while trailing 103-91 with 5:26 to go. However, Okafor capped an 18-5 run with a four-foot jumper to give his team a 109-108 lead with nine seconds left. But Anthony responded with his heroics with 0.3 left.
"It was a great shot," Covington said. "That is why he gets paid a lot. Overall we made a valiant effort tonight. We put ourselves in a position [to win]."
The Sixers called a timeout after Anthony's basket. Brown called a play for Saric, the inbounder, to find Gerald Henderson close to the basket for a tip-in. However, O'Quinn foiled their plain.
Justin Anderson made his Sixers debut, playing 3:47. The small forward missed his lone shot attempt – a three-pointer – and grabbed a defensive rebound. He was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.