The New York Knicks have to get their act together before this season spirals out of control even further.
Mired in a season-high six-game losing streak, the Knicks start a four-game road trip tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. New York hasn't tasted victory since topping Philadelphia back on Jan. 11 at Madison Square Garden, where its struggles continued in a 119-114 double overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony squared off against his former team for the first time since being traded to the Big Apple last February and struggled from a shooting standpoint (10-for-30), but scored a team-best 25 points and 10 rebounds and sent the game into overtime on a jumper at the end of regulation. Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert both netted 18 points and Amare Stoudemire had 12 and 11 boards for the Knicks, who went 0-4 on the homestand and sit third in the Atlantic Division behind the 76ers and Celtics.
"We're going to win a lot of games if we can keep this intensity and this pace," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Obviously, we still have some things to work through, but it's a step in the right direction."
D'Antoni's team will also make stops in Cleveland, Miami and Houston, and is 3-4 as the visitor this season. Anthony is probable for Tuesday due to a sprained left wrist -- his non-shooting hand.
Stoudemire's numbers have dropped over the past few games and the Knicks could use a little more help from the talented big man. He said after the loss to the Nuggets that it's not about the numbers, but winning.
"We had a chance to win, it's all about winning with me," Stoudemire said. "It's not about numbers, it's not about shots. It's just about winning. So we had a chance to win, we had momentum going, just couldn't pull it out."
Charlotte has also fallen on hard times as of late, having lost four straight and 10 of 11 games, including a 97-87 loss at New Jersey on Sunday in the finale of an unsuccessful three-game road trip.
Rookie Kemba Walker registered 16 points, six boards and four assists, while Gerald Henderson had 15 points and Derrick Brown and Bismack Biyombo both scored 11 points in defeat.
"This is part of a learning process for us," Henderson said. "Collectively, we just need to learn how to score more points. That is part of my job, and I need more assists. I'm getting better on offense, especially with my jump shot, but I need to do more. My attitude is I just want to win."
Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin suffered a small fracture in his right big toe and will miss Tuesday's game. Augustin had two assists and one rebound in less than eight minutes of action.
Henderson has scored in double figures in five straight games, including three games of 20 points or more. He is averaging 20.4 points on .552 shooting over that stretch. Walker has scored in double figures in five of his last six games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals in that span. Byron Mullens had two points the last time out, but is averaging 13.8 points per game in his previous eight.
The Bobcats are home for just one game before playing two straight and six of seven games as the guest. They are just 2-6 in front of the home crowd.
Charlotte and New York have split two meetings so far this season, with both matchups at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have lost four of their last five games as the visitor in this series.
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