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Knicks Cruise Over Lackluster Suns Defense, 126-99
(Sports Network) - Danilo Gallinari poured in 27 points, going 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, and pulled down 10 rebounds as the New York Knicks dominated the Phoenix Suns in a shocking 126-99 blowout at Madison Square Garden.
David Lee contributed 24 points and eight boards, while Al Harrington ended with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who snapped a five-game slide and held the Suns under the century mark for the first time this season.
It was a surprising rout for the Knicks and their head coach Mike D’Antoni, who got the best of his former team, considering the Suns came into the game with the NBA’s best mark at 14-3, while the Knicks had the complete opposite record. D’Antoni coached the Suns for four-plus seasons before coming to New York for the 2008-09 campaign.
Larry Hughes added 11 points, 12 assists and four steals for New York, which also received 14 points from Wilson Chandler.
Steve Nash had 20 points and eight helpers for the Suns, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Alando Tucker each chipped in 14 points.
The Knicks shot 14-of-23 from the field over the opening 12 minutes and took a 39-28 lead after one quarter. They were ahead the rest of the game. The trio of Chandler, Gallinari and Lee combined for 32 of those points in the first quarter on 11-of-16 shooting.
Channing Frye’s reverse jam gave the Suns an 8-6 edge, but the Knicks used a 10-2 spurt later in the quarter for a 21-13 advantage. Chandler and Gallinari hit three-balls to cap the burst, during which Stoudemire was hit with a technical foul.
A pair of free throws from Stoudemire had the visitors within 52-46 with 5:19 left in the half, but New York poured in the next six for a 12-point lead.
The hosts were up 71-58 at the half and continued to pull away in the third. Gallinari’s three-ball moved the cushion to 88-64 at the midway point. It was 100-76 moving to the fourth and the difference never dipped under 23 from that point.
New York was 14-of-31 from three-point range...The Knicks lead the series, 55-54. Interestingly, the only time the Suns have ever led the all-time series with the Knicks was after winning the first meeting on October 24, 1968. New York has won just three of the last 12 encounters. New York will head to Phoenix on March 26...Hughes has 10,007 points for his career...The Suns are 2-1 on a four-game road trip which concludes Wednesday in Cleveland...The Knicks play in Orlando Wednesday.
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