NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony has come close to triple-doubles in his career but he had only pulled it off once before.
Until Tuesday night.
Anthony completed his second career triple-double in the fourth quarter and finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Knicks beat the Boston Celtics, 118-110, to move a game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 7 seed in the East.
“I had nine and nine before,” Anthony said, referring to rebounds and assists. “I been missing it throughout my whole career but tonight coming in a game like this, it wasn’t me. It was [Steve] Novak and J.R. [Smith] and them guys making their shots. If they wouldn’t have made the shots, then I wouldn’t have had the triple-double.”
Novak and Smith went a combined 15-for-20 from beyond the arc and each scored 25 points. The Knicks bench outscored the Celtics bench a whopping 55-2.
In the month of April, Anthony is averaging 31.7 points and 7.3 rebounds and has arguably been the NBA’s most dangerous offensive player.
“We allowed him to get going and everybody else to get going by all of our traps,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We didn’t have a smart defensive game tonight and they made every shot, give them credit.”
Said Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson, whom Anthony has credited with forcing him to be accountable since Mike D’Antoni resigned: “Melo is playing like we all thought he could play and it is beautiful to watch him play because he is doing a lot of thing son both ends of the floor. He is making guys around him better and we are winning. That is what good players do.”
On a night when Baron Davis was bothered by a stomach illness and a hamstring injury, Anthony played the playmaker role and looked to feed the ferocious 3-point effort by Novak and Smith, who went 7-for-9 from deep in the first half.
“We just made shots tonight,” Anthony said. “Guys were open the way that they guarded me tonight. They showed me different looks. They double-teamed most of the time out there. We swung the ball. Guys made shots tonight.
“J.R., Novak, Tyson [Chandler], guys just made shots tonight.”
After admitting earlier this season that he hadn’t played his hardest under D’Antoni and suffering the fans’ wrath for the Knicks’ struggles, Anthony is now playing some of the best basketball of his life.
“I can say that,” he said. “Especially with guys being hurt, with Amar’e [Stoudemire] and [Jeremy] Lin being out and having to step up in every aspect of the game, passing, scoring, rebounding, just doing it all. I think my teammates look at me and expect that out of me every night.”
Stoudemire spoke before the game and said he expected to return later this week, with Woodson indicating Friday in Cleveland might be the target date to prepare Stoudemire for the playoffs.
While it appears that Stoudemire will have to fit into what has clearly become Anthony’s team, Carmelo said no adjustment will be needed.
“We just want him to get healthy,” Anthony said. “I don’t think it’s anything about transitions or adjustments or anything like that. I’m pretty sure he’ll fit right in. Our biggest thing, his biggest thing, is just to get healthy.
“We’re going to need him down the stretch, especially coming in the playoffs.”
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