Steve

Novak

Novak’s threes were a key in coming back from a 17-point deficit tonight, and he’s been able to stay hot despite the fact the Knicks are finally getting healthy. Over his last five games, Novak is averaging 13.6 points and 4.0 3-pointers per game, and is hitting an amazing 56 percent from downtown over that stretch. He doesn’t do much outside of those three categories, but he can singlehandedly win 3-pointers for you every week.

His minutes aren’t always great and he doesn’t do much else, but if you need threes, as usual, Novak’s your guy.

Anthony is the team’s focal point on offense and he looks good for the most part, but the Knicks are simply overmatched on both ends of the floor. J.R. Smith scored 13 points on 6-of-11 shots with five assists, Tyson Chandler scored 13 points with seven boards, Amare Stoudemire scored 18 points with seven boards, Landry Fields scored two points, and Steve Novak hit a three and had five boards in the loss.

Novak has hit a bit of a wall shooting the 3-ball, failing to hit more than two of them in a contest for four straight games. Since that’s his only calling card in fantasy leagues, owners will want to back off and try to time the next hot streak.

Owners certainly shouldn’t get too excited over a blowout win against the Wizards, but as usual Novak will be worth a look if you’re hunting threes.

Between knocking down treys and mimicking Aaron Rodgers ‘Discount Double Check’ celebration, Novak provided some fun for everyone on Sunday. He is playing too well right now not to see some minutes in coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation, but with Carmelo Anthony (groin) set to return, the minutes likely won’t be high enough to sustain any fantasy value.

He played just 16 minutes in his previous two games and scored six in each of them. He’s cooled off to the point he shouldn’t be in fantasy lineups, unless you’re simply desperate for threes.

Novak has scored 14, 5, 14, 8 and 17 points in each of his last five games, but the common thread is 3-pointers, as he’s drained 15 of them over that stretch. If you need a 3-point shooter there may not be a better one on waivers, but it really depends on your league’s format as to whether he’s worth picking up or not. He’s getting just over 20 minutes per game, and while he’s been very productive with them, a slump would quickly end his run.

Novak was one of the few Knicks players that looked good tonight, and he now has 19 triples in his last six games. That’s good enough for an add in 12-team formats if you need 3-point shooting.

Novak hit 4-of-8 shots overall and while he doesn’t hit much besides make threes, the Knicks always look better when he’s on the floor. He is an elite source of 3-pointers right now, hitting 3.6 of them per game over his last nine contests.