Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Melo feels 'disbelief' after 7th straight loss

NEW YORK -- Shortly after Trey Burke knocked down a seemingly impossible shot to send the New York Knicks to their seventh straight loss, Carmelo Anthony walked across the Garden floor with the ball in his hand, as if he was looking for another shot.

“I just wanted it to go to overtime,” he said. “Just give us a chance to play to win.”

Anthony did all he could to lead the Knicks to a victory on Friday -- scoring an NBA-high 46 points on just 26 shots.

It was easily his best night in the triangle offense. Yet the end result was eerily familiar.

Anthony and the Knicks walked off the floor with a loss for the seventh straight game. Afterward, the Knicks' star was at a loss for words.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Anthony said. “Just disbelief.”

For a while on Friday night, it seemed like Anthony was going to single-handedly snap the Knicks’ losing streak.

He had 17 points in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz, including an incredible game-tying 3-pointer -- off glass -- over the outstretched hand of Derrick Favors.

“I was just trying man. I don’t like to lose and tonight was just one of those games trying to will our way to win,” he said afterward.

Wins have been hard to come by for Anthony over the last 12 months.

The Knicks finished last season with just 37 wins as Anthony missed the playoffs for the first time in his 12-year career.

New York started 2-1 this season but has since dropped seven in a row. This is just the seventh season in the team's last 50 in which the Knicks have started 2-8, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Knicks made the playoffs in just one of those seasons (1987-88).

Surely, Anthony expected better than 2-8 after he re-signed with New York as a free agent over the summer.

Late Friday night, Anthony was asked if all of the losing -- including home defeats against Orlando and Utah -- had started to wear on him.

“It can easily wear on you a lot,” Anthony said. “Right now, we feel like we’re losing games we should win. The thing about it, we’re losing here at home, so that makes it hurt even more. At the end of the day, man, what can we do?”

Anthony couldn't do much more for the Knicks on Friday. Forty-six points on 26 shots. Sixteen trips to the line. Seven rebounds.

The end result, though, was more frustration.

Question: Do you think the Knicks can bounce back from their seven-game skid? Or is the team headed to another season without a playoff berth?

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