Raymond Felton’s first regular season home game during his second stint with the Knicks was one to remember.
Felton, who played marvelously in half a season for the Knicks during 2010-11, received one of the louder crowd reactions during the pregame introductions Friday night and answered with a solid outing, scoring 14 points with nine assists and three steals, falling just one assist shy of a double-double in the team’s 104-84 win over the Heat at the Garden.
Starting in the backcourt alongside fellow offseason acquisition Jason Kidd, Felton looked as good as he did during his first stint with the team, scoring the first two points of the Knicks’ season on a driving layup to the basket.
Felton’s next bucket, a 25-foot 3-pointer off an assist from Carmelo Anthony, came with 8:23 left in the first quarter and put the Knicks ahead 7-4 giving them a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
“I thought all five guys who started out the game came out aggressive,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “Guys were making plays. I thought Kidd and Raymond were great early for us.”
Felton hit a monster 3 with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter after Miami cut the Knicks lead to 16.
Five of Felton’s 14 points came in the game’s final period. The 28-year-old guard shouldered the majority of the load as the team’s floor general, logging 33 minutes, more than any other Knicks player besides J.R. Smith and Anthony.
“I think the way we played offensively it kind of shocked them a little bit,” Anthony said. “We just moved the ball. Raymond coming off the pick-and-roll, attacking. Guys spacing the floor. Guys made shots tonight.”
Felton was pulled from the game with the Knicks leading 102-79. The packed house at the Garden cheered loudly as Felton made his exit with 1:58 left in the game.
In addition to his impressive play on offense, Felton played formidable defense and finished the game with a plus-19 rating.
Felton weaved through Heat defenders all night, all but putting to bed any questions doubters may have had about his weight coming into this season.
After Felton admitted he came into last year’s lockout-shortened season out of shape, many questioned how the Knicks’ answer to help replace Jeremy Lin would fare.
Felton passed his first test with flying colors.