Melo sprains ankle by stepping on ref, Knicks hold on, beat Boston
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony left Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics with a sprained right ankle after stepping on the foot of referee Steve Anderson.
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The unfortunate tumble took place late in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game, with New York leading the visiting Celtics by 12 points:
After a missed 3-pointer by Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony began to backtrack on defense, unaware that Anderson was in his path along the sideline. After his awkward misstep, Anthony went down to the ground in evident pain, rolling onto his stomach and staying down, with the Knicks’ training staff attending to him. He got back to his feet, but promptly walked back to the locker room for the remainder of the first half, missing the final 1:16 of the second quarter.
Initial fears that Anthony had suffered a significant injury appeared to be unfounded:
But after came out of the locker room at halftime and giving it a go, Anthony asked out of the game just 19 seconds into the third quarter, appearing hobbled:
Anthony went to the bench and attempted to loosen up the ankle before heading back to the locker room, marking the end of his evening.
The negative X-rays are obviously good news for the Knicks, who have prospered of late thanks in large part to Anthony’s excellent all-around form, which has included commitments to rebounding, setting up his teammates and fighting defensively in addition to his customary scoring work. The bad news, though, is that New York now had to face the Celtics without Melo, who had come out of the chute read hot, scoring 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in just 18 minutes of playing time before exiting for good.
Making matters worse? Porzingis, who topped even Anthony’s hot start by scoring 16 points in the opening frame thanks in part to absurdly confident takes like this rise-and-fire 30-foot bomb:
… picked up his fourth personal foul with 8:49 remaining in the third quarter, sat the rest of the frame, and was limited to just eight second-half minutes before fouling out by hitting Celtics swingman Jae Crowder (who was shooting a 3-pointer in the right corner) with 2:44 left in regulation.
With top offensive options Anthony and Porzingis out of the equation early in the third, the Celtics began to cut into a New York lead that once stood at 14 points, as coach Brad Stevens opted for a small-ball look — Amir Johnson in the middle, offensive centerpiece Isaiah Thomas at the point, and the pitbull defensive trio of Crowder, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley on the wing — that flustered the offense-challenged Knicks and pushed the tempo to jumpstart Boston’s attack.
Behind 25 third-quarter points from Thomas and Crowder, the Celtics had drawn within a bucket in the closing seconds of the third quarter, before the Knicks’ other first-round pick — rookie point guard Jerian Grant — made his presence felt with a difficult buzzer-beater:
In desperate need of another offensive creator to pair with post-up jumper-hunter Arron Afflalo, Knicks coach Derek Fisher rode the Grant in the fourth quarter. The Notre Dame product repaid that kindness, repeatedly getting into the teeth of the Celtics’ defense to create good looks for others, get himself to the line and keep Boston at bay.
The rookie scored 10 points and dished six assists in the final frame, playing all 12 fourth-quarter minutes, knocking down four clutch free throws in the final 31 seconds and giving New York the boost it needed to hold off the Celtics for a 120-114 win that improved the surprising Knicks to an even 20-20 on the season.
Grant finished with 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting, eight assists, one rebound, one steal, one block and zero turnovers in 23-plus minutes of work in his best game as a professional, turning in a playmaking performance that Fisher attributed to consistent preparation and that the Knicks sorely needed with Anthony and Porzingis unavailable.
“Confidence, you know? It was all confidence,” he told MSG’s Rebecca Haarlow after the game. “My teammates, my coaches leaving me in in the fourth just gave me a lot of confidence. Guys like Arron were telling me to go get the ball, and that gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and make plays.”
Porzingis’ 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks led the way for the Knicks, who now sit just one game behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Afflalo added 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting, while reserve scorer Derrick Williams chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
While the X-rays on Anthony’s ankle were negative, Fisher said after the game that the team wouldn’t know his status for New York’s Wednesday meeting with the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets until shortly before tipoff. Anthony himself said he wasn’t sure he’d play against Brooklyn, which means often-unheralded contributors like Grant could need to be ready to hit the ground running once again.
“We’ve got a lot of great players, and we have confident guys that step up and make plays when other guys are out,” Grant said after the game. “Who knows how long [Anthony is] going to be out, so we’re going to need that.”
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
Stay connected with Ball Don’t Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, “Like” BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
More NBA coverage:
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
Stay connected with Ball Don’t Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, “Like” BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
