Raptors at Knicks
Amar’e Stoudemire is not only playing the best basketball in the NBA since Thanksgiving but he has a shot of doing something that no New York Knicks’ player has done since 1962.
The 6-foot-10 center goes after his sixth straight 30-point outing on Wednesday when the red-hot Knicks host the Toronto Raptors.
The franchise record for consecutive 30-point games is seven by Willie Naulls, achieved 48 years ago. Stoudemire can match Naulls’ mark with 30-point contests against Toronto and the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Stoudemire is averaging 34.2 points and 11 rebounds during his five-game hot streak and the Knicks (13-9) have won every outing. New York has won 10 of 11 games after a 3-8 start.
One of Stoudemire’s stellar performances occurred last Sunday against the Raptors (8-13). He scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in New York’s 116-99 road victory.
During the five-game splurge, Stoudemire is shooting 60.4 percent from the field, connecting on 67-of-111 field-goal attempts, to raise his season scoring average to 25.3.
Stoudemire scored 34 points in the Knicks’ most-recent contest, a 121-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
The dominating streak of games looks familiar to Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, who coached Stoudemire in Phoenix and strongly recruited Stoudemire to sign with New York as a free agent in the summer.
“He has that ability to rise to the occasion,” D’Antoni said after the Minnesota contest. “There is no reason why he can’t continue this.”
Point guard Raymond Felton also seeks to continue a high level of performance after having 18 points and 11 assists against Minnesota for his fourth double-double over the past five games.
Felton is averaging 19.4 points and 10.6 assists during New York’s five-game winning streak. Felton is second on the Knicks in scoring at 18.1 while averaging a team-best 8.5 assists.
Toronto is coming off a 124-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Point guard Jose Calderon scored a season-high 21 points.
Counting Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, the Raptors have lost their last two games by a combined 41 points.
Forward Amir Johnson had his best outing of the season in Sunday’s loss to New York with a season-high 22 points and a career-best 16 rebounds. Johnson has started the last four Toronto games. He is shooting 68.8 percent from the field over the last three games.
Backup guard Jerryd Bayless also had his top performance of the season against the Knicks by scoring a season-best 23 points that included a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range.
Center Andrea Bargnani leads Toronto with a 20.2 scoring average.
New York is 2-0 against Toronto this season with the other victory coming in the season-opening contest for both teams.