DALLAS — Mike D’Antoni said the battle at the Knicks’ shooting-guard position is on, but the coach wants to stick with starter Landry Fields for now. Fields’ minutes could be crashing because rookie Iman Shumpert is healthy and increasingly dynamic.
After a poor game against Cleveland, Fields had his second straight stinker in Boston (1 of 4, three points, 15 minutes). D’Antoni said he’s not looking at a lineup change yet. Fields is Jeremy Lin’s best friend and their on-court chemistry had been perfect.
“Landry’s our starter for right now and that might be forever,’’ D’Antoni said. “That’s who we are right now.’’
However, D’Antoni added, “a lot of times between J.R., Landry, Shump, whoever’s playing well down the stretch is going to play.’’
Shumpert scored 14 points on 6-of -9 shooting, including a mammoth dunk on Kevin Garnett. The coaching staff, however, wished Shumpert was a little tighter on Paul Pierce’s game-tying 3-pointer.
“Shump had a great game,”D’Antoni said. “He’s playing terrific.’’