Knicks 101, Wizards 95
John Wall got to hear what “MVP!” chants sound like as they echo through Verizon Center for the first time on Friday.
But they weren’t for him. Instead, they rained down deservedly for Amar’e Stoudemire after a dominating performance for the streaking New York Knicks in a 101-95 victory over the Wizards that concluded with a specific lesson for Washington’s prodigious rookie point guard.
“I’ve been here for eight years, and when the Knicks come in town, it’s a neutral site, basically,” said Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. “Most of the people in D.C. is from New York, that’s what kind of crowd New York gets when they travel.”
In a milestone win for the Knicks (15-9) on multiple accounts, Stoudemire finished with 36 points, ten rebounds and five assists. But it still looked like the Wizards (6-16) might get the best of the All-Star forward when Wall spun into him for a reverse layup and Arenas followed with a driving bank shot to trim New York’s second-half lead to 95-92 with 1:36 remaining.
After Stoudemire went back to the line for two of his ten free throws, and more chants from the crowd, Arenas forced him into his 11th turnover of the night and Wall was off to the races on the break.
But the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Stoudemire chased the lightning fast rookie down, swatted his layup attempt and then stared him down as the season-high crowd of 18,542 rose in unison for different reasons: one group to cheer, the other to head for the exits. Count film director Spike Lee, who rose arms-raised from the courtside seat he had occupied next to Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and the Wizards bench, among the triumphant visiting contingent.
The block finished off another difficult night for Wall (eight points, six assists, five rebounds), who missed ten of his 14 shots and was again in search of his rhythm after missing the previous game with a sore left foot.
“I think he lost his energy when he missed shots,” said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. “He became frustrated, and he let it affect the rest of his game, not getting into guys defensively as much or becoming very stagnant offensively. Right now, they’re going to give him all those 19-footers he wants.”
Wall, who has missed eight of 22 games, also jammed his left thumb in the third quarter.
“I feel like at times I can’t blow past people like I want to or finish at the basket, or do certain things like I’m used to doing,” said Wall. “It’s tough because I don’t have the same ability – I have the same ability to do certain things but not all the stuff I was doing before.”
The Wizards, who lost their fourth straight and for the eighth time in the last nine games, were also dragging as a team after having been on the West Coast earlier in the week, and they lost their legs after one of their best first halves of the season. Arenas led Washington with 20 points, six assists and four steals, while Nick Young added 17 points off the bench.
Andray Blatche (16 points) and JaVale McGee (ten points, ten rebounds) also returned to the starting lineup.
But Washington’s 54-49 halftime lead was eliminated by three New York jump shots from Stoudemire, Wilson Chandler (16 points) and Danilo Gallinari (16 points) in the first 73 seconds of the third quarter.
New York counted its seventh straight victory as only the first of the evening’s many historical accomplishments. The Knicks’ eight road-game winning streak is their second-longest in franchise history, and Stoudemire tied Willie Naulls’ 1962 franchise record of seven straight games with 30 points or more.
“He showed his capabilities of being an all-star,” said Wall, who needs to shake of his injures before aspiring to eventually reach the same heights. “I’m not fully healthy, but I think I’m good enough to help the team out but tonight wasn’t a good night for me, and the beginning of the third quarter tore us apart.”
