PHOENIX — J. R Smith walked on the court and looked up at the scoreboard. It said the game was tied at 97-97, and Smith knew the ball — and the game’s biggest moment — was coming to him. Smith then closed his eyes and bowed his head. He meditated.
“When I was walking on the court, I was like, “Man, you’re going to make it, you’re going to make it,’ ” Smith said. “I was mentally really trying to get my form ready before I even thought about taking it.”
Catch the ball cleanly, he thought. Square your shoulders to the basket, he reminded himself. Believe in yourself.
Smith ran to the left corner of the court, received Jason Kidd’s pass, turned his body, jumped high in the air and faded away from the Phoenix Suns’ P. J. Tucker.
Buzzer sounds. Swish. Game over.
Smith’s difficult jumper as time expired gave the Knicks a 99-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, a much-needed lift for a weakened team. It was the second game-winner by Smith this month. His previous one, the first game-winner of his career, came on Dec. 5 against the Charlotte Bobcats.
And both final-second shots by Smith came with Carmelo Anthony not on the floor; Anthony missed Wednesday’s game because of a hyperextended knee.
Tyson Chandler called Smith’s basket an incredible one to watch from his perspective near the basket.
“Knowing J. R., it’s almost better for him to take a tough shot,” Chandler said. He added: “It seems like he makes the tougher shots with the guy is draped all over him. He does it in practice.”
After Smith made his shot, all of his teammates hugged him on the court.
“It was big just to see how hyped my teammates were, especially Tyson and Jason,” he said. “They’ve seen big shots hit before, so for them to be excited was great.”
Even before Smith’s last-second shot, the Knicks learned what it is like when their best player, Anthony, and their main point guard, Raymond Felton, are not playing. Minutes piled up for everyone else. Roles were expanded. And fitness was tested.
Throughout the game, Smith was erratic, Steve Novak was off target from long distance, and Chandler was fatigued.
Coach Mike Woodson put his trust in Smith and Kidd, a 39-year-old veteran, who gave one of his better all-around performances of the season. Kidd had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. His final assist of the game was the inbounds pass on Smith’s buzzer-beater.
“Kidd was big,” Woodson said. “He nearly had a triple-double. Here he is almost 40 years old still playing like that. It’s incredible.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Woodson realized that the Knicks needed to outscore the Suns rather than beat them with defense. So in a bold move, Woodson left Chris Copeland (14 points) and Novak, who are not known for defense, in the game for much of the fourth quarter.
What the Knicks lacked most was the ability to track Jared Dudley, who scored a season-high 36 points for the Suns (11-18).
With 34.5 seconds left, Dudley was fouled by James White, who started for Anthony after Anthony hurt his left knee Tuesday. Dudley made both free throws to give the Suns a 97-95 lead. After a timeout, Woodson wanted the ball in Kidd’s hands. But Kidd passed up a tough shot and gave the ball to Smith, who drained a turnaround 17-foot jumper.
“He set the table with a tough shot to tie the game,” Kidd said. He added about Smith’s late-game confidence, “He likes that moment and he’s done it twice for us.”
The Suns followed with a turnover as Sebastian Telfair dribbled out of bounds with a second left. That set the stage for Smith’s shot.
“When Coach was drawing up the play, he looked at me and said, “We’re going to you,’ ” Smith said of Woodson. “That was big for him to show confidence in me. That gave me the extra emphasis to make the shot.”
This victory by the Knicks (21-8) came in difficult circumstances.
Knicks 99, Suns 97: Hobbled by Injuries, Knicks Win on Last Shot
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Knicks 99, Suns 97: Hobbled by Injuries, Knicks Win on Last Shot
