The suddenly reeling Knicks can’t use jet lag as an excuse this time.
The Suns avenged getting humiliated by the Knicks 10 days ago in Phoenix, winning a high-scoring affair at the Garden in an MLK Day matinee, 129-121, despite Amar’e Stoudemire’s season-high 41 points.
The Knicks (22-18) have lost three straight, including Friday’s Garden disaster vs. the Kings, when they used exhaustion from their West Coast trip as a convenient excuse.
“We got a little bit of a mental letdown,” Mike D’Antoni said. “It needs to be a wake-up call. We have to understand who we are. We are not Boston or Miami.”
Stoudemire was held scoreless for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter by his former team and didn’t spark up again until after the Suns had all but clinched it. Stoudemire made 15 of 25 shots, breaking out of a recent shooting slump, and had 33 points after three quarters.
“Being four games over (.500) is nothing to be satisfied about,” Stoudemire said. “I don’t want us to get satisfied.
“It’s a long year and this is only the first half of the season. We can’t get comfortable with it. We have to make sure we stay together and win these games and give the effort defensively.”
The Knicks’ defense was putrid Monday and allowed Vince Carter look like he was in his prime again. Carter scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds. Steve Nash, outplayed in Phoenix by Raymond Felton, got him this time, with 13 points and 11 assists. Felton, who had a triple-double in the 25-point win at Phoenix, had a terrible shooting game, going 3 of 13 with 13 assists.
Danilo Gallinari, making his first appearance in two weeks since he sprained his medial collateral ligament, appeared sometimes rusty, but put up good numbers with 17 points. Gallinari missed six games in which the Knicks were a respectable 3-3.
The Knicks played without energetic center Ronny Turiaf, out with a sore hip.
Suns veteran Grant Hill also had a big game with 25 points.
Carter’s wide-open right-corner 3-pointer to pull the Suns into a 114-108 lead with 3:40 left was the beginning of the end. The Knicks then saw a tough call go against them when Shawne Williams scored on a tip-in but the basket was waved off because he made slight contact with Hill. Referee Joey Crawford ruled Williams committed a loose-ball foul and that gave two free throws to Hill, who made both to give the Suns a 116-108 lead.
Felton’s 3-pointer put the Knicks in the lead at 101-100 with 8:50 left and Carter followed that with an airball and derision from the rocking Garden crowd. But that was the end of the Knicks highlights.
The Knicks were outrebounded 48-38 with their size disadvantage still is an issue, as is their growing need for Carmelo Anthony, who’s still available.
The Knicks rallied from a 12-point first-quarter deficit to take a 64-61 lead at halftime in a shootout between two teams subscribing to D’Antoni’s “Seven Seconds or Less” offense.
But the Suns kept attacking, with Carter lighting up the Knicks’ defense, and led 97-91 entering the fourth quarter. Carter and Stoudemire were involved in an fiery scoring battle. Carter had 24 points after three quarters, Stoudemire 33. Both teams were shooting an identical 49.3 percent after three.
Stoudemire bulled his way for 19 first-half points but picked up his 12th technical foul in the first quarter. He angrily shouldered Channing Frye after Frye dunked on him. Stoudemire was called for a foul, then walked toward Frye and knocked into him.
Stoudemire’s 12 leaves him four short of the magical number of 16, when he will get suspended for one game.
Stoudemire perhaps was frustrated about the Knicks’ lack of first-quarter defense. They allowed 39 points in the period, 26 in the first 6:21. Carter bagged a left-corner 3-pointer, putting the Suns ahead 26-17 after which D’Antoni called time.
Carter finished with 15 points in the first half, including one high-flying baseline-driving dunk that even Stoudemire moved to stay out of the way. Stoudemire made 7 of 11 shots and all five of his free throws.
The Suns took a 39-30 lead after one quarter with the Suns shooting 56 percent, making 4 of 7 3-pointers and securing four offensive boards.
The Knicks rallied in the second quarter, starting it with a 10-0 run capped by Billy Walker’s 3-pointer. A Landry Fields corner trey forged a 41-41 tie with 10:24 left in the half.