Carmelo Anthony went from goat to hero. With the Knicks up by three points and the shot clock turned off, Anthony fouled Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph as he made a short jumper. When Randolph completed the three-point play, Memphis completed a 17-point second half comeback. It looked like the Knicks could be headed towards a terrible loss, one they gave away with sloppy turnovers and awful shot selection in a dismal fourth quarter.
But with 14 seconds left the Knicks inbounded and posted up their new star. Anthony got the ball with about seven seconds remaining, sized up Tony Allen, and fired an 18-footer that hit nothing but net. There was a half a second left after Anthony’s jumper, but Jared Jeffries deflected the inbound, and New York won its third straight game and improved to 34-29.
Amare Stoudemire added 26 points, and Toney Douglas notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Anthony finished with 31. The Grizzlies made a great fourth quarter comeback, much thanks to some head-scratching play by the Knicks. Twice in the final minutes the Knicks committed needless fouls, giving Memphis free points from the stripe. New York also missed Chauncey Billups, who would have bee a much more calming influence than Douglas was during the zany fourth quarter.
It was a big win for the Knicks, as they take on one of the league’s best teams, the Dallas Mavericks, tomorrow night before taking on the Indiana Pacers in a home and home.