Knicks 4th Quarter Woes Continue Against Phoenix Suns

Final. 90. 27. 99. 66

It was yet another disappointing loss for the New York Knicks, who didn’t wait until the evening to lose this time as they dropped the Saturday matinee to the Phoenix Suns. Once again the Knicks couldn’t perform when it mattered most, going into the fourth quarter with a one point lead but leaving it with a nine point loss. This team looks to have developed the loser’s mentality that Phil Jackson had referenced recently as they go into the fourth quarter playing not to lose instead of to win. The Knicks will have a quick turnaround as they will get right back at it Sunday when they travel to take on the Toronto Raptors.

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Player of the Game: Pablo Prigioni

Prigioni didn’t score much this afternoon, making only 1-7 from the field for two points, but he was once again the catalyst that woke the Knicks up. The Knicks started the game sluggishly, looking to be en route to another blowout loss. Prigioni came in and provided a spark on both ends of the court to get the Knicks back into the game. He led the team with seven assists, adding three steals and three rebounds. Prigioni has constantly been the player to get the Knicks going in games tonight, and is one of the players Derek Fisher trusts; he played 30 minutes against the Suns today.

-Melo Works Hard

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in scoring today, but it wasn’t an easy afternoon. He scored 25 points on 9-19 shooting but had to work hard for every point. P.J. Tucker played Anthony tough, banging with him around the court and making him earn his points Saturday. He pulled down 11 rebounds as well in the game as he battled all over the court for the Knicks tonight. He added three rebounds, three steals and one block to round out a strong stat line.

-Small Ball Hurts Knicks

Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) drives up on an empty basket during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks, like many teams before them this season, could not compete with the Suns small lineup. The Suns like to trot out a three-point guard lineup at times, playing Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas that is lightning quick and tough to guard. That was the trio on the court that got the Suns the win in the fourth quarter.

Bledsoe and Thomas were unstoppable off the dribble, as they attacked the basket relentlessly without much resistance. Bledsoe finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Thomas came off the bench with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. The diminutive combo killed the Knicks in the paint, as the Knicks big men were forced to the perimeter to guard Tucker and Markieff Morris.

Morris hurt the Knicks in the second half playing as the tallest Sun on the court, as Samuel Dalembert, Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich were hesitant to go on the perimeter. It resulted in a strong finish for Morris, who scored 19 points with five rebounds and one steal.

Without Amar’e Stoudemire to really punish the Suns on the inside, they were able to trot out the smaller lineup more often than they normally would have. Stoudemire had a scheduled rest day today, most likely because the Knicks have a quick turnaround with another game tomorrow.

-Knicks Can’t Keep Up On Perimeter

As mentioned above, the Suns guards had strong games. Unfortunately for the Knicks, they were unable to keep up for 48 minutes. Jose Calderon had a strong offensive game, scoring a season-high tying 21 points with five rebounds, three assists and one steal to keep pace with the Suns backcourt players. Uncharacteristically, he did have three turnovers though.

New York Knicks 4th Quarter Woes Continue Against Phoenix Suns

By Kenneth Teape | Dec 20, 2014

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