National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New York 114, Milwaukee 108
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #50 Olandis Poole, #31 Scott Wall, #57 Greg Willard
Attendance: 19763

Carmelo Anthony didn’t disappoint in his Knicks debut with 27 points and 10 rebounds as New York defeated the stubborn Milwaukee Bucks 114-108 on Wednesday at an electric Madison Square Garden.

On the third annual Legends Night, when the Knicks honored players such as Earl Monroe at halftime, New York’s newest pearl shined brightest in the fourth quarter with 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Amid chants of "Melo!", Anthony’s baseline drive and dunk with 1:17 left gave New York a 106-100 lead. His fadeaway jumper in the lane with 26 seconds to go put the Knicks ahead, 108-102.

Chauncey Billups, who came with Anthony from Denver in Tuesday’s blockbuster trade, had 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds while making 12-of-12 free throws for the Knicks (29-26).

Anthony finished 10-of-25 from the field as the Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak against the Bucks – overall and at home.

Toney Douglas came off the bench to score 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting, and Amar’e Stoudemire had 19 points before fouling out and receiving a technical with one minute left for the Knicks.

Anthony was the first Knick introduced and received a rousing ovation from the Garden faithful after a video featuring the Brooklyn native was shown.

Anthony scored on his second shot, a put-back 2:24 into the game. He left with 4:07 to go in the first quarter after he picked up his second personal foul but returned to start the second quarter with a dunk to give the Knicks a 37-26 lead.

John Salmons scored 27 points for the Bucks (22-35), who fell 4 1/2 games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Top Game Performances
 
Milwaukee   New York
John Salmons 27 Scoring Carmelo Anthony 27
John Salmons 7 Assists Chauncey Billups 8
Andrew Bogut 12 Rebounds Carmelo Anthony 10
John Salmons 11 Free Throws Made Chauncey Billups 12
Keyon Dooling 2 Steals Carmelo Anthony 2
Andrew Bogut 2 Blocks Shawne Williams 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Milwaukee 108 43.9 11-23 25-32 18 40 3 8 15
New York 114 50.0 8-22 26-28 20 43 3 9 17
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Knicks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Milwaukee will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Bucks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.