National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New York 114, Sacramento 92
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2011
Where: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, California
Officials: #62 Brian Forte, #67 John Goble, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance: 16175

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points as the New York Knicks cruised to a 114-92 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.

New York snapped a two-game skid and picked up a win in the final stop of its three-game West Coast road trip.

Sacramento has dropped three straight contests and suffered just its fourth loss to the Knicks in their past 11 meetings.

Anthony scored 11 of his points from the free-throw line while adding seven rebounds and five assists. All five New York starters scored in double figures.

After struggling on offense in the first two games of the road trip, New York exploded for 35 points in the first quarter. The Knicks shot 56 percent from the field and knocked down 6 of 9 from beyond the arc.

Rookie reserve forward Josh Harrellson stepped in for the injured Amar’e Stoudemire, who sat out with a sprained ankle. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half and shot 4 for 8 from beyond the arc.

Sacramento, which trailed by as much as 22 points, cut the lead to 12 on a thunderous two-handed flush from Jason Thompson with just under two minutes remaining in the second half. The Kings would get to within 11 points several times but couldn’t close the gap, struggling on offense and shooting just 34 percent from the field.

Marcus Thornton paced Sacramento with 14 points while fellow guard Tyreke Evans chipped in with 13 points. Thompson added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Knicks center Tyson Chandler overcame early foul trouble to net 22 points, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Top Game Performances
 
New York   Sacramento
Carmelo Anthony 23 Scoring Marcus Thornton 14
Toney Douglas 8 Assists DeMarcus Cousins 4
Josh Harrellson 12 Rebounds Chuck Hayes 13
Carmelo Anthony 11 Free Throws Made Isaiah Thomas 7
Toney Douglas 2 Steals Marcus Thornton 3
Tyson Chandler 3 Blocks DeMarcus Cousins 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New York 114 44.9 10-28 24-27 26 43 6 7 12
Sacramento 92 34.9 6-22 26-41 15 51 2 7 14
Upcoming Games
  • Sacramento will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Kings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • New York will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Knicks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.