Nets Vs. Knicks: Deron Williams Steals The Spotlight In Carmelo Anthony's Return

Carmelo Anthony made his return to the New York Knicks lineup on Monday night, but he wasn't able to do enough to stop the New Jersey Nets from leaving Madison Square Garden with a victory. Melo's most interesting contributions came after the game, however, while talking about Jeremy Lin.

Lin and Melo haven't played together much since the point guard burst onto the scene, but the Knicks' All-Star made it clear after the game to Sports Illustrated's Ben Glicksman that he wants Lin running the offense ... for the most part.

"I want Jeremy to have the ball," he said. "I want him to create for me. I want him to create for Amar'e. There are gonna be times where I'm the distributor, but for the most part, I want Jeremy having the ball in his hands."

Those comments likely came after reporters asked Anthony whether he was disappointed with his role in Monday's loss, considering he scored just 11 points (on 11 shots) and turned the ball over six times in 37 minutes of playing time. Melo's lack of shots weren't necessarily Lin's fault, however, as the point guard dished nine assists to go with 21 points -- though his 18 shot attempts led the Knicks in the category.

It'll be interesting to see if Anthony keeps the same attitude if losses begin to pile up, but, as of now, it seems he's okay with his role in Jeremy Lin's offense.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.

Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets were able to dispatch the New York Knicks on Monday with a 100-92 victory on the road, but the play of the point guards took precedence over any other storyline on Presidents Day. Jeremy Lin originally broke out against Deron Williams and the Nets, leaving the latter looking for revenge in the rematch.

Williams was able to get said revenge, too, as he made eight three-pointers on his way to 38 points and six assists to lead the Nets over Lin's Knicks. Williams hasn't looked as he good as he did on Monday in quite awhile, but he revealed after the game that there was extra motivation to play well against New York.

Williams made the matchup between him and Lin "personal," according to ESPN's Mike Mazzeo.

"I don't really watch 'SportsCenter' and I don't really watch too many games," Williams said. "But when I went on Twitter and people were tweeting at me, every three lines was Jeremy Lin destroyed Deron Williams, so I definitely took offense to that from the first game. Like I said, I had it circled."

Linsanity isn't lost on Williams, though -- he just isn't a fan of it when Lin's doing his thing against the Nets.

"It's an amazing story that he was gonna be cut the next day, and to come out and play the way he did against us and keep it going [was neat]," Williams said of Lin. "Even [Monday night] he had a great game. It's going to be overshadowed because of mine, but he's playing great basketball so hopefully it's a tremendous story."

For his part, by the way, Lin scored 21 points and dished nine assists. As Williams said, though, he was overshadowed by the point guard across the court ... and it sounds like Williams wouldn't have it any other way.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.

The persistent question permeating the fervor over Jeremy Lin has been "can Carmelo Anthony play with him?" After one game, the jury's still out, but the results weren't good. The New York Knicks had no answer for Deron Williams, who scored 38 points to go with six assists despite foul trouble keeping him out most of the fourth quarter and leading to an early seat on the bench. It didn't matter, as his contribution was enough for the New Jersey Nets to win, 100-92, at Madison Square Garden.

Williams unleashed a barrage of three-point shooting in the third quarter, including a personal 10-1 run that included a four-point play. The Knicks began making a run in the fourth quarter, but cold shooting and the Nets' stout defense and rebounding made that proposition impossible. Of course, Anthony's ice-cold shooting (4-11, 11 points) and one of Jeremy Lin's quietest games in his run as a starter (21 points on 7-18 shooting, nine assists and seven rebounds) didn't help matters, nor did Tyson Chandler's first-half foul trouble.

Williams said after the game to the YES Network's sideline reporter, Jessica Taff, that he was frankly tired of all the media coverage of Linsanity, and he was on a mission to remind everyone that, given some scouting material, he could more than hold his own against the NBA's newest star.

"Asking more questions about him than us at shootaround, it was bothering us and we took it personal," Williams said. If it weren't for the fouls, he might have gone for 50.

It's important to note that Baron Davis got his first action as a Knick in this one, but played just 9 minutes, 40 seconds and making just one shot, a three-pointer.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.

Deron Williams is a pretty good point guard, remember? Despite his team being atrocious this year, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star, and he's showing why Monday night against Jeremy Lin, Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks. Williams has hit a career-high eight three-pointers, scoring 33 points through three quarters and carrying the Nets to an 80-64 lead.

The Nets entered halftime with an eight-point lead and built on it thanks to the hot shooting of Williams, who, at a certain point, just started to dribble down the court and hoist three-pointers, normally a bad strategy. Not tonight. He kept burying them, frequently while being guarded by Lin. He and the Nets have locked down, forcing the Harvard product to go left, where he's been far less effective.

Kris Humphries got in the head of the Knicks front court, as Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire all voiced their displeasure with the Nets' power forward. He's got 11 points and nine rebounds so far. Anthony has been largely ineffective in his return from a groin injury, displaying obvious signs of rust and looking equal parts uncomfortable and sluggish in the offense. He's got nine points and five turnovers, while Lin has 13 points and seven assists.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.

The storylines for the New York Knicks entering their Monday night game against the New Jersey Nets were too many to count: Linsanity, Carmelo Anthony's first action in eight games (save for eight minutes) due to a groin injury, and Baron Davis' debut among them. After the first half, none of them seem quite as loud, as Deron Williams and the Nets were able to silence Madison Square Garden and lead 50-42 after one.

Anthony has been quiet, scoring on a pick and roll with Jeremy Lin early and a good-looking drive in the second quarter, but nothing more. Lin has been good, not great, getting almost all of his production (nine points, four assists, three steals) on the fast break. The Knicks' halfcourt offense hasn't been bad — Landry Fields in particular has been effective off the dribble, though his numbers (four points, six rebounds) don't exactly bear that out.

What hasn't helped the defense is Tyson Chandler playing just nine minutes because of foul trouble. After going out with two fouls halfway through the first quarter, he left a minute after his return in the second with his third foul, of the loose-ball variety, on Kris Humphries. Jared Jeffries has played his typical sound defensive game, but is, as always, largely useless offensively.

Really, the story of the first half has been Williams. He's scored 18 points to go with four assists, and has played lockdown defense on Lin. He's been singlehandedly more effective that the Dallas Mavericks' double teams on Sunday. Rookie MarShon Brooks has also been terrific, scoring 13 points on a combination of deep jumpers, including a four-point play, and crafty finishes. He's capitalized every time he's touched the ball when Fields hasn't been on him.

Expect Lin and Co. to make a dramatic comeback in the second half. Again.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.

Monday night, the world got to see for the first time a New York Knicks team that's healthy this season, as Carmelo Anthony returned from a groin injury and Baron Davis made his season debut after suffering from a back injury to join Jeremy Lin in Madison Square Garden. After the first quarter, the Knicks led the New Jersey Nets 21-18, and the Anthony-Lin combo looked cohesive, if not a bit rusty.

Just a few plays in, Anthony set a hard pick for Jeremy Lin, then rolled to find a perfect pass from Lin and nailed a jumper, drawing a roar from the home crowd. Things didn't go quite as smoothly after that, however. 'Melo missed his next four shots, at least two of which were forced against tight defense. Lin has been brilliant at times, and finished with a tidy four-point, three-assist, three-steal quarter. Amar'e Stoudemire leads the Knicks with five.

Deron Williams has been the lone bright spot for the Nets, much like he has been all season, leading all scorers with 10 points after a quarter. He has played terrific defense on Lin, rendering him largely ineffective in the half-court offense.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting and Nets Daily. Also be sure to check out SB Nation New York and our very own Lin stream.