The New York Knicks enjoyed a drama-free second half, flying to a 107-88 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony enjoyed most of the fourth quarter as spectators, as the Knicks (31-28) built a big lead in the third quarter and never looked back. Without the injured Chauncey Billups, Toney Douglas filled in admirably, scoring 24 points, effectively outplaying Chris Paul.
Stoudemire scored 24 points and Anthony added 22, but the Knicks’ defense did a good job against the slow-paced Hornets (35-28), who had just one starter reach double figures. Paul had a season low four points, taking just seven shots. The Knicks ran away with the game in the third quarter, largely due to the shooting of Shawne Williams, who had a bounce back 16 point effort, knocking down four threes.
It was an overall team effort and a feel-good win for New York. Veteran good guy Roger Mason got in the game at the end, hitting his first three-pointer in a Knick uniform while the crowd chanted his name. The Knicks next take on the Cavaliers on Friday at the Garden, and you’d have to think revenge is on their mind after last Friday’s embarrassing loss in Cleveland.