New York Knicks wins season-opener behind Amar'e Stoudemire’s double-double
After having a busy summer revamping their roster, the New York Knicks started the season on the right foot when they bagged a thrilling 98-93 win over the Toronto Raptors, Wednesday 27 October
at the Air Canada Centre.
All-star power forward, Amar'e Stoudemire, who inked a lucrative five-year deal with the Knicks during the off-season, had 19 points and 10 boards in his first regular-season game with New
York.
After signing with the Knicks during the summer, the 28-year old forward vowed to bring the Knicks back to the play-offs for the first time since 2004, and for him, they should win in every
game that they are the clear-favorites.
"You want to beat the teams you feel you're supposed to beat, so tonight was a big win for us," said Stoudemire, who is looking forward to their matchup against the Boston Celtics on Friday.
"We'll see if we can steal one. They're playing great so we'll see what we can do."
Wilson Chandler, who lost his starting spot to rookie guard Landry Fields, provided the much-need spark from the bench as he finished the game with 22 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes
of playing time.
The 23-year old forward, who was the team’s starting shooting guard last season, said after the game that he was not disappointed when head coach Mike D’Antoni bumped him out of their starting
lineup.
"I didn't take it personally," Chandler said. "I just took it as he had a better lineup. He's a good coach so I just go along with what he says."
D’Antoni, on the other hand, clarified that he relegated Chandler to the sixth man’s role because they wanted to beef up their bench scoring, which was their Achilles’ heel over the past
three seasons.
Andrea Bargnani had 22 points, 18 in the first half, and six rebounds, while Jarrett Jack scored 16 points and dished out six assists for the Raptors, who trailed by as much as 16 points
in the second quarter.
However, the Raptors, who played for the first time since Chris Bosh signed with the Miami Heat during the summer, erased New York’s lead and even took a 77-76 lead with 10:48 left in the
final period before Chandler erupted for eight points to seal their first win.
"We're a very resilient bunch," Jack said. "I thought we showed some fight and some grit out there. There was a point where we got down early. If we didn't make a stand the game could have
gotten away from us, and we battled back."
Ronny Turiaf, who was acquired by the Knicks in a deal that sent David Lee to the Golden State Warriors during the off-season, left the game in the fourth quarter with a sore back, but team
trainers said that the injury will not cause him to miss any game.
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