MVP candidates don't get 2 FTAs in 35 minutes.
He sscored 37 points and shot 2 free throws
2
Free
Throws.
. :x
Non-Calls Frustrating Melo
HOUSTON -- Carmelo Anthony had several reasons to be frustrated on Friday night.
His Knicks had just lost by 28 points to the Rockets. They gave up a season high 131 points in the process.
And they'd lost two regular-season games in a row for the first time since mid-March.
But Anthony was also frustrated for another reason: He felt the referees failed to blow the whistle when he was fouled on Friday.
"It is frustrating. It gets frustrating out there," Anthony said after scoring a game-high 37 points against Houston. "You do your best to try and ... get fouled, go to the hole, create something; it don’t happen. That gets frustrating. And then you go down to the other end of the court and [get called for a foul]. That’s always the frustration when that sets in."
Frustration set in for Anthony in the third quarter against Houston.
Melo felt he got hit by Chandler Parsons on a jumper midway through the third. He had his back turned to the ball as he was running down the court, yelling at the nearest official.
Rockets forward Patrick Patterson was also racing down the floor. He snuck behind Melo, darted to the rim, received an outlet and converted an uncontested dunk.
Anthony's back was to the play the entire time. He was whistled for a technical for arguing, his NBA-leading fifth of the season.
Anthony said he didn't see Patterson behind him.
"At that point of the game, I was just a little frustrated. It happens," he said.
The non-whistle is nothing new for Anthony. He didn't get a couple of key calls late in the Knicks' loss to Dallas on Wednesday.
Neither coach Mike Woodson nor Anthony complained about the non-calls after the Mavs loss.
But Anthony was visibly annoyed after the Houston game.
"Maybe I got to do a better job of not getting so frustrated and just accept the fact that this is the way it’s going to be," he said.
Anthony shot just two free throws against Houston, about four fewer than his average. Overall, the Knicks shot 14 free throws to the Rockets' 28. Houston guard James Harden went 16-for-16 from the line.
"That’s always the frustrating part. You look at the stat sheet and you see guys 16, 17 free throws, and you look at our stats and it’s two free throws, three free throws and things like that," Anthony said. "We’re trying to figure out what guys are doing differently that we’re not doing."
For the record, Anthony is tied for seventh in the NBA with 6.3 free throw attempts per game.
Entering play this week, Anthony was getting fouled on 14 percent of his attempts. That rate is consistent with what we've seen in the past few years. He went to the line on 12.8 percent of his shot attempts last season, 14 percent in 2010-11 and 14.5 percent in 2009-10.