NEW YORK -- Justin Anderson's career night at Madison Square Garden was not coincidental.
His game-high 26 points against the Knicks was redemption for a poor performance he wanted to make right.
On Nov. 14, Anderson, then a member of the Mavericks, went 0 for 11 from the field in 23 minutes in New York. His struggles included going 0 for 5 from three.
"It was my worst night," Anderson recalled, following the Sixers' 114-113 loss on Wednesday. "I was so embarrassed."
Anderson was only days into his trade to the Sixers when he made his next trip to the arena on Feb. 25. He logged just four minutes.
On Wednesday, however, he was in the Sixers' starting lineup and poised to make an impact.
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Anderson shot 9 for 10 from the field, 3 for 4 from long range and 5 for 7 from the line in 35 minutes. He had his most efficient performance of the season while defending Carmelo Anthony.
To add to his own motivation, Anderson was inspired by a message from assistant Coach Lloyd Pierce on the significance of playing at MSG.
"It's a place to make memories," Anderson said. "If you would have told me when I was 12 years old that one day you would score your career-high in the NBA at Madison Square Garden, for it to happen tonight, that's something that I can take with me and keep pushing."
Anderson's performance came at the end of a season in which he still doesn't feel settled. He was dealt from the Mavericks to the Sixers at the trade deadline of his second year in the NBA. Anderson was shifted into the starting small forward role in place of the injured Robert Covington.
"If I'm being honest, I'm not comfortable right now," he said. "There's a lot of unknowns for me."
Anderson's production has fluctuated. He shot 1 for 4 against the Pacers in the previous game and 2 for 12 against the Bucks the game before that. Anderson had gone a combined 0 for 8 in the last two contests.
On a larger scale, he shot 7 for 11 against his former team on March 17 and did not make four than four field goals in a single game for the next nine matchups.
Anderson has been trying to learn the Sixers' system in shootaround and off-day workouts. He did not have the opportunity for practices because of the Sixers' game-heavy schedule in the second half of the season.
"When you get traded midway through the season, I'm living out of three different places right now," Anderson said. "One game having a good game, one game having a bad game. I haven't been able to fully gel with everybody … I'm in a place where all I can do is be the ultimate professional."
It was important to end the season with a strong game, to erase that 0-for-11 performance with the Mavericks and to head into the offseason with momentum as a Sixer.
"I'm trying to put myself in a position to just be an animal," he said.
