With the win, the Knicks move to 17-5 overall and, at 9-0, remain the NBA’s lone unbeaten home team.
They will continue their six-game homestand on Saturday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers, and at this point, it’s unclear whether they will have Anthony.
“I just took a hard fall,” Anthony said afterward. “[I’m] real sore right now, my ankle, my knee, my hip. It was the way I hit the floor.”
And as for whether or not he would be able to play on Saturday, Anthony was unsure. “Right now, it’s too soon,” he said. “I am going to take it day by day… I will wake up and see what happens.”
Fortunately for the Knicks, they were able to hold on without him. “When one guy goes down, other guys have to step up,” Chandler said after the win. “And it’s gotta be like that all year.”
Afterward, Felton sounded fairly optimistic about Anthony’s condition. “I was concerned,” he said. “But it was good to see him walk out of here on his own. He’s a little sore, he’s limping a little bit right now, but it’s not that bad.”
Despite leaving the game with about 19 minutes to go, Anthony scored 30 points in just 23 minutes.”I wanted to beat [The Lakers],” he said afterward. “I was zoned in, I was locked in. Tonight was one of those games where I had that feeling.”
And though he left early, he provided his team with enough of a cushion to absorb a late rally by the Lakers and win its third game in a row and eighth of its last nine.
At 17-5, the Knicks enter play on Dec. 14 with the NBA’s third best record. They’ve done it behind Anthony’s MVP caliber quarter-season, ball movement, three point shooting and good coaching.
Now, as we await an update on Anthony’s condition, at the very least, coach Woodson and Knicks fans alike can find solace in the the fact that the Knicks have depth and have shown that they can win without Anthony.
Moke Hamilton is a Senior NBA Columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MokeHamilton
Actually, according to Al Iannazzone’s tweet, his injury is more serious than just a sprained ankle. He also hurt his knee and hip.
Will be interesting to see if Amare returns before Melo.