SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Knicks couldn’t start talking about the West fast enough following Wednesday’s disgraceful outing against the Cavaliers.
A 10-day, five-game Western trip looms, but it’s not as daunting as it sounds. Four of the five clubs are under .500. Removing the 19-3 Warriors, the other four clubs on the trip — Sacramento (8-13), the Lakers (10-14), Phoenix (6-16) and Denver (8-14) — are a combined 32-57.
After getting overwhelmed by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony repeatedly talked about putting the loss behind them immediately. It was a bit fluky, playing the second night of a back-to-back after a long flight from Miami, not having Derrick Rose and facing James on a mission to show up Phil Jackson. Rose is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Kings.
“A little bump in the road,’’ Anthony said. “We want to put this one behind us and learn from this and get better and look forward. I don’t want this game to linger around.
“We want to win [out West],’’ Anthony added. “We want to start off on a good note. Get that first one on the trip against Sac.’’
The Knicks have a poor road record (3-6), but have started to improve, winning their last two in Minnesota and Miami. Coach Jeff Hornacek said his team has to go back to playing “smart.’’
“You go on the road — no wins are easy,’’ Hornacek said. “We have to come out with intensity every game no matter the opponent and go on the attack. I don’t know if we were tired, but at times Melo had a guard on him and we passed it away to the other side. That’s not playing smart. You got to play smart on the road.’’
Here’s what to watch for as the 12-10 Knicks attempt to make the Cavaliers disgrace disappear with their cross-country flight to California, where Jackson will eventually join them in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Sacramento (Friday): The rematch with the Kings marks the first time the Knicks play in the team’s new downtown arena. It could show how the Knicks have learned to hold on to big leads. Last Sunday, they were up 20 before the Kings’ frantic comeback reduced the deficit to one. Expect some more Hack-a-Noah. It worked against the Knicks big man down the stretch as he went 0-for-4.
Lakers (Sunday): Jackson will see Luke Walton coach the Lakers for the first time. Walton was the very first phone call Jackson made in his coaching search. The Lakers, due to various injuries, including to point guard D’Angelo Russell, have slid after a good start. Sources indicate if the Lakers show signs of progress, personnel head Jim Buss is safe and Jackson has no chance of returning as an executive to join his fiancée, Lakers president Jeanie Buss. Russell is expected to miss Sunday’s battle as is ex-Knick Jose Calderon, out with a hamstring injury.
Phoenix: (Tuesday): Hornacek makes his return after being fired last February by the Suns, after going 48-34 and 39-43 in his first two seasons. They were 14-35 at the time of the axing. Knicks assistant Jerry Sichting was fired one month prior. Earl Watson was on the staff, got promoted to head coach and is losing just the same. It will give the Knicks their first look at rookie Dragan Bender, known as Kristaps Porzingis Lite.
Golden State (Thursday): Kevin Durant will get another chance to explain why he wouldn’t give Jackson a July meeting during the recruiting process in the Hamptons. The NBA superteam is doing as expected with KD’s presence not hurting Klay Thompson, who just erupted for 60 points. A roster of two former MVPs and two All-Stars could make for a long night.
Denver (Dec. 17): Anthony still hears boos from the Nuggets fans. Denver still is in the toilet as the trade never panned out for either club. The Knicks can say thanks again they didn’t take Emmanuel Mudiay over Porzingis at No. 4 in the 2015 draft.