With the help of brilliant performances from Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith, the New York Knicks thrashed the Philadelphia 76ers 100-84 in the opener of the home-and-home series.
"I think at the end of the day, we know what type of guys we have on this team, we know what's at stake and we want to win," Anthony said. "That's the only thing that's on our minds."
Big names of both the teams, like Andrew Bynum and Amare Stoudemire, missed the game because of injuries, but still players demonstrated their competitive spirit.
Both teams are missing high-priced big men because of knee problems. But while center Andrew Bynum's absence could have a big effect on the 76ers, the Knicks have so far shown that they can perhaps space the floor better using a smaller lineup without Stoudemire.
Anthony, Smith, Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton had 27, 20, 12 and 11 points respectively in the Kincks' second victory in as many games to start 2-0 for the new season. These wins are very encouraging for them because they have won their first two games for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
"I think when you share the basketball it becomes contagious, and guys, they feed into it," head coach Mike Woodson said. "And the fact that we have so many guys that can make shots, you don't know who's going to get you on any given night."
For the 76ers, Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young played well. Holiday scored 27 points and dished out seven assists, whereas Young had 16 points. Evan Turner also scored a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
"They're very tough to defend. They're playing really good defense," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "It's a very difficult team to play because they can post or they can spread you and they really move the ball really well. They're playing very unselfish basketball."
Right from the start, the game was dominated by the Knicks. Anthony and Felton scored nine points each. The Knicks managed to keep the momentum going until the end of the game.
"The experience that we have on this locker room, it doesn't take long to understand how to play the game and that's what we have here, is guys who know how to play the game and understanding their roles and doing it well," Kidd said.
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