The New York Knicks clinched their first Atlantic Division title since 1994 Tuesday night with a 120-99 win over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden Tuesday. New York captured their 13th straight win in the rout and were led by a strong performance from Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony scored a game-high 36 points, (21 during the Knicks' 37-point third quarter surge), while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists. The star forward became the first Knick since newly elected Hall of Famer Bernard King with five straight 35-point games.
"I just think Melo, he's been on a nice run and I mean it's nice to see because and I know what he's thinking," Knicks coach Mike Woodson told ESPN. "He was thinking winning that division tonight and he wasn't going to leave any doubt in anybody's mind that we earned the rights to win the division tonight."
J.R. Smith's 17 point effort also gave the home crowd plenty reason to celebrate the historic win on Tuesday. "It's a great thing to achieve one of your main goals, and now we've just got to go get that gold ball," Smith said after the game.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
