Amar'e Stoudemire scores 39 as Knicks top Nets
Nobody has been scoring the ball better than Amar’e Stoudemire during the pre-season. And last night, the All-Star power forward, averaging 26 points per game in exhibition play, showed
what he can when he plays all four quarters.
Stoudemire scored 39 points, a pre-season record so far this year, helping his New York Knicks defeat the New Jersey Nets 117-111 last night in New York City. Stoudemire, who signed with
the Knicks this summer, added 11 rebounds and made 16 of his 19 free throws in the Knicks home pre-season finale.
"I think we only have a few games left so we're trying to get acclimated to how we're going to play in the regular season," Stoudemire said. "So I think my time's going to be ramping up
here in the next few games."
Actually, Stoudemire, who already has two 30-point games in the pre-season despite missing the fourth quarter in both contests, is set to sit out tonight’s match-up against the Philadelphia
76ers. But that won’t stop Knicks fans, whose team last made the play-offs seven years ago, from getting excited about a possible post-season berth this season. New Jersey coach Avery Johnson also sees good things for the Knicks with Stoudemire.
"He's a great player. He's a max contract player," said Johnson. "When you're a max contract guy, you know, he plays like it. He's tough. The Knicks got themselves a good one. He's a dominant
player and tough to handle."
Second-year player Toney Douglas scored 24 points for the Knicks while point guard Raymond Felton added 13 points and 11 assists.
Jordan Farmar, coming over from the Los Angeles Lakers during the off-season, was the high man for the Nets, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Nets centre Brook
Lopez had 19 points and eight rebounds while Derrick Favors, third overall pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, posted 12 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of play. Terrence Williams chipped in with 15 points off the bench.
The Nets returned to the U.S. Sunday morning after playing two exhibition games against the Houston Rockets in China and Russia. Johnson wasn’t sure how his players would play given the
potential for jet-lag.
"We're not going to use it as an excuse, but it's something that we're dealing with and I'm curious to see how they're going to play tonight," he said before the game.
They didn’t appear tired in the opening quarter, which they won 26-24. But in the second quarter, sparked by the play of Felton and Douglas, the home team went on a 21-9 run to end the
first half with a 65-49 advantage.
"Looks good," said Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni of having Felton and Douglas on the court at the same time. "Gives us a lot more speed."
In the third frame, the Nets put together a run of their own, outscoring the Knicks 32-15, taking a one-point lead into the final quarter. But with the solid play of Stoudemire down the
stretch, who scored 10 points in the final quarter, the Knicks were able to outscore the Nets 37-30 in the last 12 minutes, clinching the win in front of their home fans.
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