[wpdevart_youtube width=”640″ height=”385″ autoplay=”0″ theme=”dark” loop_video=”0″ enable_fullscreen=”1″ show_related=”1″ show_popup=”0″ thumb_popup_width=”213″ thumb_popup_height=”128″ show_title=”1″ show_youtube_icon=”1″ show_annotations=”1″ show_progress_bar_color=”red” autohide_parameters=”1″ set_initial_volume=”false” initial_volume=”100″ disable_keyboard=”0″]gmmlC10_vVE[/wpdevart_youtube]NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – The New York Knicks have been struggling to win games, and coming into Tuesday night’s contest the Knicks had lost nine of their last ten games. Management decided a coaching change was necessary, and Monday Derek Fisher was fired. Tuesday night, New York would face the Washington Wizards (22-27) for the second time this season. The Wizards lost to the Knicks 117-110, back on Oct.31st in Washington. Tuesday night would be the first game for New York with interim head coach Kurt Rambis.
New York dug themselves an early 35-21 hole to end the first quarter. The Knicks’ poor defensive effort was the main reason for the 14 point deficit. Washington shot 65% from the field in the first quarter, including 4 of 5 from downtown. John Wall was hot right out of the gate, tallying 11 points and three assists in 10 minutes of action to start the game.
The third quarter was where the Knicks were really able to claw their way back into the game. New York outscored Washington 33-20 in the third quarter, to tie the game at 83-83. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis led the comeback, scoring 21 out of the Knicks’ 33 third quarter points.
The fourth quarter is where the Knicks fell back into old habits. The Knicks allowed Wall and Bradley Beal to “penetrate and devastate” as Clyde Frazier would say. Quick athletic guards have given New York fits all year long. This was part of the reason Jose Calderon sat for much of the fourth quarter, and Langston Galloway took his minutes. Galloway did a better job of trying to contain Wall and Beal.
The Knicks had a chance to tie the game late with :04 seconds remaining, but Galloway’s game tying three pointer missed. New York would fall 111-108 to the Wizards, and lose their sixth game in a row heading into the All-Star Break.
There were two reasons that New York ultimately lost this game. First, the defense for New York was still poor, even with Coach Rambis holding the reins. The Knicks allowed Washington to shoot 50% (39-78 FGM-A), and 63% (12-19 FGM-A) from three point land. New York is now 0-8 in games this season where they allow opponents to shoot over 50%.
Wall and Beal absolutely torched New York, especially in transition. Washington was able to score 21 fast break points, which is very alarming. Wall finished the game with 28 points and 17 assists, and Beal tallied 26 points and four steals. It was timely buckets by both Wall and Beal, that put the game out of reach for the Knicks.
Secondly, the Knicks did not take care of the basketball. In the fourth quarter alone, the Knicks had seven turnovers and 15 for the entire game. The turnovers happened during crucial possessions, and killed the Knick momentum. This makes six straight games where the Knicks have had 10 or more turnovers. New York now holds a 9-23 record when they commit more turnovers than their opponent. The way New York has played recently, they can’t afford to waste possessions. Especially when the Knicks have been struggling defensively, and trailing late in games.
Coach Rambis will need to fix the defensive issues as well as ball security moving forward. Rambis will have the All-Star Break to figure things out, as New York’s next game is not until Feb. 19th against the Brooklyn Nets (14-39).
Stats Of The Game:
- All 5 Wizard starters scored in double figures
- The last time an opponent had 15+ assists, was when Ish Smith did it on Jan.18th with 16 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Marcin Gortat tallied his 26th double double of the season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- Anthony led the Knicks in scoring with 33 points, and also added 13 rebounds.
- Porzingis finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three blocks. However, Porzingis only managed to score two points in the fourth quarter.
- Porzingis broke Patrick Ewing‘s franchise record for blocks by a rookie in a season following Tuesday’s loss. (Ewing-103, Porzingis-105).
- Calderon was held scoreless in 28 minutes of action, in a game in which he started Tuesday night.
- Galloway scored 14 points in 29 minutes off the bench.
(Featured Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)
Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732