If there were fans, the faithful in the garden would have spent the day MLK singing “Detach”.
The defensive momentum of Sunday’s thrashing in Boston moved to MLK Day, as the Knicks closed out the Magic in a 91-84 victory in the afternoon in the field without fans.
The Knicks also couldn’t shoot, not even free throws, as the day turned into a garden brick party. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau savored that ugly victory that ended directly in the 1990s, when he began his first stint with the franchise as an assistant coach.
The Knicks held on despite advancing by a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
“I love winning, so low-scoring, high-scoring, medium-scoring, it doesn’t matter,” Thibodeau said. “I just want to win. All we have to do to find a way to win, improve every day, I want to be playing the best I can along the stretch. “
With RJ Barrett’s clutch performance (22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) and more defensive discipline, the Knicks got their first straight wins in three years.
Breaking the drought of 40 consecutive sets without sweeping was a testament to the Knicks ’readiness under Thibodeau. The Knicks ’two-game winning streak advanced their record to 7-8, surpassing preseason expectations. In a calendar of 72 matches, they go at the rate of 33.6 victories.
“They showed a lot of toughness,” Thibodeau added. “I knew it would be a challenge for us: back to back, early start. We played with the leadership for most of the match. Then we took the hit to start the fourth quarter. Having the ability to punch, keep fighting and find a way to win is an important part of this league. I loved the toughness we showed during the stretch. “
Neither team reached 40% shot. The Knicks, who had lost five in a row before that straight, shot up 35.6 percent, Orlando down 33.7 percent. The Knicks won despite shooting the ball terribly 3 (5 of 27).
“Two huge wins for us,” Randle said. “It could have been three: Cleveland’s victory, but we let it slip. But it’s two huge victories in an extremely tough back-to-back, two first games. That’s very hard. I think it’s the first time in my career that “I have this. It was extremely hard. But we won the game with our struggle, the passion, the selflessness we played with each other and we just fought in the defensive end. We went back to our principles. Our defense is what we he won the match today. I’m proud of everyone. “
The Knicks knocked out Randle’s rare day (5 of 19) to secure a key victory before heading out on a four-game trip to the West Coast.
But Randle hit a clutch driving disposition that put the Knicks ahead 83-81 with 56 seconds left. And he still managed to earn 21 points and 17 rebounds as he made an 8 of 12 from the line.
“I couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean, goodness,” Randle said.
Barrett made the key defensive play when he missed a pass from Aaron Gordon with 40 seconds left. Reggie Bullock caught the ball loose and Barrett finished it off with a quick throw for an 85-81 lead. The garden would have been bonker.
The Knicks held the Magic (6-8) to a weak 13 points in the first quarter before Orlando woke up in the fourth before leaving the sixth in a row. Injured Magic are missing Evan Fournier, Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, among others.
Magic rookie goalie Cole Anthony, a Manhattan product in his first game against the Knicks, shot just 2 of 12, both results in triples.
Meanwhile, the Knicks got a solid game point. Former Orlando PG starter Elfrid Payton scored 12 points, four assists and a rare dive on a slippery run down the lane against his former team.
“I feel like we’ve taken a big step today,” Payton said.
Knicks rookie and safety goalie Immanuel Quickley continued as an offensive shake in the first half as he racked up 11 points in 11 minutes and hit his usual range of floats. But he ran out of goals in the second half when Orlando increased.
Although they returned from Boston early Sunday night, Knicks was on the garden track at 10 a.m. Monday to hold a morning shootout.
“We’re finding ways to win and that’s the important part,” Randle said. “One thing we know we can rely on is our defense every night and our rebound.”