SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Phil Jackson wants Carmelo Anthony to get rid of the ball quicker, and he did for most of Friday night's game.
Anthony was quick to shoot and to pass to his teammates and carried the New York Knicks offensively for three quarters. But it wasn't a good finish for him.
He missed some big shots down the stretch and, with a chance to put the game away, missed two free throws with 2.6 seconds to go. But the Knicks still were able to pull out a 103-100 win over the Kings at Golden 1 Center in the opener of a five-game Western swing.
After Anthony missed his second free throw, DeMarcus Cousins got the rebound, and his heave from beyond midcourt hit the front of the rim.
Anthony, who shot 9-for-22 after a 6-for-8 start, finished with 33 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead the Knicks (13-10). His two foul shots with 14.8 seconds left were the last points of the game and made him 12-for-12 from the line at that point. Kristaps Porzingis, who started 1-for-10, finished 6-for-19 and had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Jennings had 13 points and seven assists and Kyle O'Quinn added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Derrick Rose missed his second straight game because of to lower-back stiffness. He said he will try to play Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cousins led the Kings with 28 points, 12 rebounds and six assists but missed a potential go-ahead layup with 21.9 seconds left.
With the Knicks ahead by three, Rudy Gay misfired on a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds to go that went out of bounds off of Darren Collison. The original call was that it was off the Knicks, but the referees reviewed it and reversed the call. Anthony was fouled and missed both, but the Knicks survived.
After Collison hit two foul shots to give Sacramento a 98-97 lead, the Kings intentionally fouled Joakim Noah with 2:09 left. Noah, who had missed 12 of his last 13 from the line, made both foul shots to give the Knicks a 99-98 lead.
With a few chances to extend the lead, Anthony misfired on two three-pointers and Jennings bricked his three-point try. After Cousins missed his driving layup, Jennings rebounded it, was fouled and hit both free throws to put the Knicks on top 101-98. After Cousins drove and scored with 15.6 seconds left, Anthony's two foul shots made it 103-100.
The game provided a positive finish to the day for Anthony, who said he was "caught off guard" by Jackson's critical comments about him being a ball-stopper. He said earlier in the day that he wishes Jackson had spoken to him privately and added that the Knicks don't need "any negativity" right now.
Anthony had said there is "a temporary black cloud" over the Knicks brought on by Jackson's statement that Anthony holds the ball too long. Anthony said he doesn't understand why Jackson made those remarks, especially given that the Knicks have been winning.
"At the end of the day, we're playing good basketball," Anthony said. "That's the only thing that really matters at this point. Any negativity that's coming toward me or toward the team, I don't think we need it at this point, especially when we're trying to make a run.''
Jackson's comments came in an interview with CBS Sports Network that aired Tuesday. He said Anthony has "a little bit of a tendency to hold it for three, four, five seconds, and then everybody comes to a stop."
Later that night, Anthony scored 35 points to lead the Knicks over the Miami Heat. He also hit two game-winning shots in a four-game span during a 9-3 stretch for the Knicks.
Anthony said he hasn't talked Jackson recently and won't pursue a conversation. Jackson is expected to meet the Knicks in Los Angeles, where they play the Lakers on Sunday night.
"If he wants to talk about it, cool," Anthony said. "If he don't, cool. In my eyes, it's over with."
Anthony said Jackson has never spoken to him about holding the ball too long. "I just feel if it was something that he wanted to address or had a stance on something, the door has always been open both ways," Anthony said. "He's always sent me a text or talked to me. If it was any type of problem or anything going on I always welcome his conversation with open arms and I've sat there and would listen.
"It's always been good conversations when we talked. I don't really know what's going on."
Anthony added, "My conversations with management is limited at this point. I've decided to focus on what I can focus on and let them focus on what they focus on."
