When Chris Duhon signed with the New York Knicks this summer, Coach K predicted his former guard could become one of the NBA leaders in assists. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni handed the keys to his uptempo offense over to Chris and the former Duke All-American didn’t take long to meet his college coach’s expectations.
Already among the top 10 in assists entering Saturday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors, Chris exploded for a performance that immediately made its way to the Knicks record books. In a 138-125 win, Duhon dished out a Knicks franchise-record 22 assists, breaking a single-game record set almost 50 years ago on December 12, 1958 by Richie Guerin. The 22 dimes are also the most ever recorded by any player in a game played at Madison Square Garden.
“That’s what a point guard’s supposed to do, get their team involved,” Duhon said after the game. “If I can do that every night I would love it. I love sharing the ball, I love getting those guys involved. The main important thing is that we got the win.”
Chris, who has dropped at least seven dimes in 10 of his 16 games on the year, is averaging 8.2 APG and shattered his previous career high of 15 assists. The 22 dimes are the most in an NBA game since Steve Nash dished out his career-high 22 dimes on January 2, 2006, and pushed Chris to fifth in the league in APG. Only Duhon, Nash and Jason Kidd have recorded as many as 22 assists in a single game among active NBA players. To put that total in perspective, only six NBA teams were averaging more than 22 APG as of Duhon’s record-breaking performance.
With Chris pushing the ball and running the offense, the Knicks started the game with 82 first-half points (43 in the second quarter), setting records at the current MSG for points in the second quarter and first half. The 138 points in the game are the most by the Knicks since a 139-106 win on April 6, 1996 in Toronto.
“I think Duhon is the story tonight,” said Warriors head coach Don Nelson after the game. “Wow, what a player. I’ve been watching him on film and seeing him on videos, but seeing him in person is another story. Guy’s got the whole package. He looked like Steve Nash out there. Unbelievable performance. Whether we zoned him, switched him, it didn’t matter. He still found a way to hurt us. Really impressive performance.”
“It was an amazing accomplishment,” said Duhon, who only had three turnovers and added 12 points for the double-double. “Obviously, this kind of record isn’t something you can get by yourself. It’s a team effort because you can’t get assists unless the guys put the ball in the hole. It was something that I will remember forever.”
GAME NOTES
*Former Blue Devil Corey Maggette scored 32 points (12-20 FG) and grabbed 12 boards for Golden State.
*Chris’ line: 12 pts, 22 assts, 4 rebs, 1 stl, 3 TO, 4-9 FG (1-2 3pt), 3-4 FT
*The Knicks improved to 8-8 with the victory.
