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Knicks hope to get offense going vs. Utah

Nov 14, 2014 - 2:58 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Only the putrid Philadelphia 76ers are shooting worse than the New York Knicks.

That shouldn't happen when a team has one of the top scorers in the league and a roster with some promise.

The Knicks look to end a six-game losing streak when they run out their product in front of the home crowd Friday versus the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. They have lost two straight on this four-game homestand and dropped a 97-95 decision to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony buried a big 3-pointer to pull the Knicks within 96-95 and Evan Fournier hit one of his two foul shots on the end to give Orlando a two-point edge. Knicks reserve J.R. Smith, not Anthony, took the final shot and his 3-pointer missed in the closing moments.

"I got the ball too far from the basket," Smith said. "I just tried to make the best play I could."

Anthony was asked if he wanted the final shot.

"I think that is a rhetorical question," Anthony said. "Of course I want it. Whether he could have got it to me or not, that's a different question."

New York has to find a way to get the ball in Anthony's hands, which Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn didn't want to happen.

"We were focused in on Carmelo and J.R. on that final play," Vaughn said. "We really wanted to get the ball out of Carmelo's hands."

Anthony had 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, Smith added 19 points and Iman Shumpert posted 10 for the Knicks, whose six-game skid is the longest since a seven-game drought last Feb. 21-March 3. Anthony shot 50 percent or better after failing to do so in the previous five games. He had attempted 20 or more shots in each of the past six.

The Knicks, who also had a nine-game losing streak last season, have yet to score 100 points in a game this season and are averaging 91.6 ppg. They will host Denver on Sunday and are 1-4 at MSG.

Utah will continue a five-game road trip Friday and is 1-2 on the east coast jaunt. The Jazz have lost two in a row and three of four games, and dropped a 100-97 decision in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alec Burks led the visitors with 22 points, Derrick Favors chipped in 20 and six rebounds and Trey Burke ended with 11 points and 11 assists. Gordon Hayward also scored 11 points for Utah, which shot 50 percent from the floor and scored 28 points off 22 Atlanta turnovers. Utah led by as many as 13.

The Jazz, though, were outscored, 18-9, in the fourth quarter.

"We played really well," said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder. "We did a lot of things well and we took care of the ball really well, which we haven't been doing. We just had a couple breaks down the stretch that didn't go our way."

There were 18 lead changes and the game was tied 12 times.

Hayward is averaging 20.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists this month, and is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor in that time.

Utah will close the trip Saturday in Toronto and lost both matchups with New York a season ago. The Knicks have won six in a row against the Jazz, losers in four straight and nine of 10 games at MSG.