Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rockets 91, Knicks 86: Melo exits early

New York Knicks president Phil Jackson implored the team to "go get some road wins this week" in a tweet on Monday.

The Knicks couldn't comply in Houston.

With Carmelo Anthony unavailable in the second half, New York fell to the Houston Rockets 91-86.

Not much punch on offense: Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in scoring with just 14 points. He sat out the final 25 minutes due to back spasms. New York was hurt by a lack of offensive punch without Anthony. The Knicks had a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Houston outscored them 17-6 over a long stretch of the fourth. James Harden led Houston with 36 points on 11-for-22 shooting.

Concern for Carmelo: The Knicks fell to 4-11 and have lost 10 of 12. They have also dropped five straight on the road. Things will get only more dire for this team if Anthony is out for an extended period of time. Anthony appeared to be in significant pain late in the first half. He landed awkwardly after a jump shot and had to leave the game with 1:45 left in the second quarter. He did not return.

Torched from beyond the arc: The Knicks have allowed the highest opponent field goal percentage in the NBA. The Rockets have taken the most 3s in the NBA. This was not a recipe for success for New York. Houston hit 14 of 36 3s (39 percent) on Monday. The Knicks missed 16 of their 22 attempts.

Question: Will the Knicks be able to rebound from their 4-11 start or is the season a lost cause already?

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