IQ Best! Brunson-less Knicks Ground Rockets, End Losing Streak
The New York Knicks shattered Cinderella's glass slipper on Monday night in Manhattan, making sure any red-branded upsets at Madison Square Garden were limited to Florida Atlantic University.
Behind a brilliant shooting night for Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks downed the woebegone Houston Rockets 137-115. Quickley, back in the starting lineup after Jalen Brunson (hand) sat out his second straight game, took full advantage of the honor with a career-best 40 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field. The lauded reserve also dished out nine assists, part of a season-best haul of 35 helpers for the Knicks (43-33).
A visit from the lowly Rockets (18-58) was the perfect antidote for a Knicks team facing late adversity in the form of a three-game losing streak against mediocre competition. Houston kept things relatively close early, as they trailed by only five at the half but the Knicks nonetheless enjoyed early momentum thanks to 15 points in the opening from Julius Randle, who shook off some mental adversity built over the past two games to earn 26 points on an eventual 10-of-19 shooting night.
The Knicks eventually built a lead so massive that Randle was able to sit out of the fourth quarter entirely. His final act was a buzzer-beating triple at the end of the third quarter that gave the Knicks a double-digit lead made permanent by scoring the first 10 points of the final frame, a dominant frame that allowed the Knicks to lead by as many as 33 before they backed off.
Late drama was provided in the form of Quickley chasing his first career 40-point game, which he eventually earned on a trip to the foul line. The Knicks emptied the bench after that, clinching their seventh straight victory over the Rockets and third straight sweet of the yearly interconference pair.
Kevin Porter Jr. paced the Rockets with 26 points in their third consecutive loss. Houston still has the second-best odds to clinch the top pick at the NBA Draft lottery, as Detroit lost to Milwaukee.
In more victorious affairs, the Knicks kept pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race, moving a half-game ahead of idle Miami and Brooklyn for fifth place. Now 2.5 games in front of Play-In Tournament purgatory, the Knicks welcome in the seventh-place Miami Heat on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
In addition to the win, Monday was a somber occasion for the Knicks, who played their first game at Madison Square Garden since the passing of franchise legend Willis Reed. A moment of silence was held in Reed's memory prior to the singing of the national anthem and the Knicks were adorned in warm-up shirts bearing the No. 19 he wore during his 11-year career in New York. The No. 19 banner in the MSG rafters signaling Reed's number retirement also carried a spotlight throughout the evening.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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