Knicks 100, Timberwolves 94
MINNEAPOLIS -- Carmelo Anthony did it again. He scored points in bunches. He took over the fourth quarter. And he made sure the New York Knicks would come from behind for another victory.
Anthony scored 12 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter Friday night to lead the Knicks to a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The victory was harder to get for the Knicks than the final score indicated. Minnesota led by 11, 87-76, after Williams hit a baseline jumper with 7:10 to play. But Anthony led the Knicks back. New York went on a quick 15-3 run to regain the lead. Anthony, the NBA's second leading scorer, scored 10 points in that stretch and his hook shot with 2:37 to play gave the Knicks a 91-90 lead.
Anthony hit a 19-footer with 1:09 to play that put the Knicks ahead 95-92. New York needed that cushion as Minnesota's Ricky Rubio hit a jumper to cut the lead to one. After New York was called for a shot-clock violation, the Timberwolves had a chance to take a late lead. Tyson Chandler, however, blocked Luke Ridnour's shot attempt, leading to a J.R. Smith three-point play that put the game away.
Smith added 15 points for the Knicks while Steve Novak, Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton each added 11.
Ridnour led Minnesota with 20 points while Derrick Williams scored 19. Rubio had his most productive game since returning from knee surgery, finishing with 18 points and 11 assists.
The victory allowed the Knicks to bounce back from Wednesday night's surprising loss at the Washington Wizards. It also snapped New York's two-game road losing streak.
Minnesota has lost 14 of its past 16 games.
Ridnour was largely responsible for the Timberwolves leading 76-70 after three quarters. After a Stoudemire baseline drive and dunk with 3:17 to play in the third quarter, Minnesota closed the quarter on a 10-2 run.
Ridnour, who averages 11.8 points per game, scored eight points in the run and made all five of his field goals in the quarter. His free throws with 33 seconds left in the third quarter gave Minnesota a six-point cushion entering the final 12 minutes.
The Knicks led by as many as eight in the second quarter before the Timberwolves went on a 12-3 run and led 42-41 with 3:08 to play in the half. New York, however, countered with an 11-3 spurt and led 52-45 at the break.
Notes: Because of the winter storm hitting the East Coast, the Knicks planned to spend an additional night in Minneapolis before returning to New York on Saturday. With a high-profile home game Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Knicks will begin preparing in their Minneapolis hotel on Saturday morning. "We'll get up and go through the Clippers (preparation) here and start getting ready for those guys," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. ... The Timberwolves signed wing Mickael Gelabale and center Chris Johnson for the rest of the season. Both have seen playing time during their two 10-day contracts, and Gelabale is starting in place of injured Andrei Kirilenko. The signings forced the Timberwolves to release Lou Amundson. ... Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman said before the game that he doesn't expect Andrei Kirilenko back until after the All-Star break from his quadriceps injury. ... Each team learned that it will have a player involved in the All-Star Weekend festivities. Minnesota's Rubio will play in the Future Stars game while New York's Steve Novak will compete in the 3-point shooting contest.
