• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – The New York Knicks have had a very disappointing season, and there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. New York has turned into a circus with constant trade talk involving Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose not showing up to a game, and lack of effort consistently by the Knicks. Playoff hopes for New York seem slim to none, as they had dropped all the way down to a 12th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks had lost five of their last seven games, before squaring off against the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night. New York looked to get back on track, by beating a struggling Clipper team that had lost seven of their last nine games.

Both teams started the game shooting hot, and decided that playing defense wasn’t a priority. New York (51%) and Los Angeles (55%) shot over 50%, and were tied 36-36 at the end of the first quarter. Blake Griffin had a monstrous start, scoring 18 first quarter points. Kristaps Porzingis helped the Knicks keep pace with 11 first quarter points.

(Photo Credit: Barry Holmes) Griffin exploded for 32 points Wednesday night.
(Photo Credit: Barry Holmes) Griffin exploded for 32 points Wednesday night.

During the second quarter, Anthony and Kyle O’Quinn played well for New York. O’Quinn started in place of Joakim Noah (hamstring), and did not disappoint. The bearded warrior had eight second quarter points, and really infused the Knicks with his hustle and energy. New York would trail 68-67 at the half, but the effort level was there. New York was competing against a Western Conference playoff team, and looked to have a good chance at stealing a win.

After seeing the Knicks come out in the third quarter, an upset win on national television looked to be very promising. New York outscored the Clippers 28-20 in the third quarter, and took a 95-88 lead into the fourth quarter. Rose had 10 third quarter points, and looked to be putting on a clinic on how to attack the rim and finish strong.

(Photo Credit: Barry Holmes) Rose has been relentless attacking the rim this season.
(Photo Credit: Barry Holmes) Rose has been relentless attacking the rim this season.

But we all know that in New York, nothing is ever as it seems. The same problems that have plagued the Knicks all season long, came back to haunt them Wednesday night. New York went cold at the wrong time, shooting just 8 for 24 (33%) in the final quarter. The Knicks failed to play with the same defensive intensity that they had played with most of the game. This led to a feverish comeback, that was capped off by late clutch buckets from Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan. Los Angeles outscored the Knicks 31-20 in the fourth quarter, to take a 119-115 win in the Garden.

The Knicks really wasted a good performance Wednesday night, squandering a nine point lead with 7 minutes left in the game. New York’s “Big Three” (Porzingis, 27 pts/Anthony, 28 pts/Rose, 20 pts) carried the offensive load along with O’Quinn (18 pts), but the supporting cast failed to show up.

The six other Knicks that played combined for just 22 points. The Knicks can’t just rely on the “Big Three”; other guys are going to have to consistently rise to the occasion. This will take the pressure off Anthony and Rose to get buckets late, and can help New York to close out games with wins instead of losses.

The Knicks (22-32) will look to bounce back Friday night against the Denver Nuggets (23-29). With a win against the Nuggets, the Knicks would improve to 14-14 at home this season.

Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732

(Featured Photo Credit: Barry Holmes)

 

By Barry Holmes

Graduate of Millersville University, with a BS in Communications focused in Broadcast. Senior Writer & Social Media Manager for PureSportsNY.

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