One down, two to go for the New York Knicks. The Knicks began a homestand against three front-line NBA teams Sunday afternoon with an emotional 129-125 victory over the Denver Nuggets. This was the 13th victory in 14 games for the 14-9 Knicks.
The subplot to the game was Amare Stoudemire’s effort to become the first player in franchise history to score at least 30 points in eight straight games. Stoudemire did, scoring exactly 30 despite having his second-half minutes limited due to foul trouble.
The Knicks led throughout most of the second half, but Denver rallied when Stoudemire left the game after picking up his fifth foul with 10:40 to play. Stoudemire returned with 6:06 to play, and helped steady the Knicks with six quick points.
Raymond Felton had 19 points and 16 assists for the Knicks. Felton hit four clutch free throws in the final seconds to help New York seal the victory. Wilson Chandler added 27 points for the Knicks.
"Wilson was terrific," Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Wilson, Landry (Fields), Gallo (Danilo Gallinari), Raymond, kept us in there until Amare started heating up. A great game. Denver played well. That was a great game. It was fun."
The Knicks have won eight in a row for the first time since December 27, 1994 to January 13, 1995.
Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Nene had 26 points.