NEW YORK -- J.R. Smith was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004 and lived through Hurricane Katrina first-hand a year later.

Now, seven years after Katrina, Smith's native New Jersey has been ravaged by Hurricane Sandy and once again he's seeing the damage and destruction up close.

"Just going to the Shore, the Jersey area, it just wasn't the same," Smith said after putting up 20 points off the bench, including 4-for-5 from downtown, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Knicks' 100-84 victory over the 76ers Sunday at Madison Square Garden.