Knicks Snap Losing Streak in Charlotte
The New York Knicks finally put a devastating stretch behind them with a convincing 111-78 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.
Knicks center Tyson Chandler led the way against his old team, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Knicks front three of Chandler, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire combined for more rebounds than the entire Charlotte squad.
Stoudemire and shooting guard Landry Fields contributed 18 points each, and every uniformed Knick scored.
One player who didn't benefit much from the offensive bonanza was Carmelo Anthony, who went 0-for-7 on field goal attempts and scored just one point on the night. Iman Shumpert also had a rough night, scoring just 3 points.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, that victory in Charlotte proved not to be the beginning of a run of success. They lost in Cleveland Wednesday night, 91-81.
New York (7-11) played well early on, taking a 40-31 lead into the final minutes of the second half. The Cavaliers, though, turned things around with a scorching 14-1 run. Cleveland held the lead for the rest of the game.
Stoudemire led the Knicks with 19 points and set a personal season high with 14 rebounds; Anthony scored 15 in the loss. That wasn't enough to beat Cleveland's balanced attack, which saw 10 different players score.
Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 15 points. Anderson Varejao scored 10 and collected 16 rebounds, along with four assists, four steals and two blocked shots.
The Knicks hope the loss in Cleveland was just a speed bump on the way to turning their season around. Their road trip will continue with games in Miami and Houston this weekend.
Islanders Fall to Toronto in Overtime
In the back end of a home and home, the Islanders lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, 4-3.
New York (19-22-7) took the lead early, as John Tavares scored his 20th goal on the year in the game's first two minutes. In the second period, Josh Bailey extended that lead to 2-0.
The Maple Leafs battled back in a hurry, though, as Clark MacArthur tucked in a goal near the end of the second to make it 2-1. Early in the third period, Jake Gardiner's first goal of the season tied the score at 2.
Mikhail Grabovski gave the Maple Leafs the lead in the third period, hitting a shot that deflected off Milan Jurcina's stick and floated past Isles goaltender Al Montoya. That nearly put the game away, but with just 13 seconds left in regulation PA Parenteau scored to force overtime.
MacArthur's second goal of the night gave the Maple Leafs the win, though Montoya almost made a great save. After video review, the officials determined that he had pulled the puck back from over the line.
The Islanders enter the All-Star Break on a two-game losing streak. Their next game will be January 31st against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Rangers Enter All-Star Break on Winning Note
With a convincing shutout win over the Jets, the New York Rangers entered the All-Star Break at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards all scored for the Rangers, who have won four of their last six games.
With 22 saves on the season, Henrik Lundqvist recorded his 40th career shutout, tying Dave Kerr for second place on the Rangers' all-time list. Although he has played in five straight games, the veteran goaltender shows no signs of slowing down.
After the break, the Rangers will hit the road, visiting the Devils and Sabres next Tuesday and Wednesday.