Just two days removed from a rough loss on the road to the playoff-bound Washington Wizards, Derek Fisher’s New York Knicks took the court at Madison Square Garden determined to end their losing skid.
The Knicks had lost nine straight since defeating the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs on March 17, but behind a big 25-point, eight-rebound and four-block effort from Andrea Bargnani, that skid came to a halt in a 101-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Afterward, Coach Fish praised the attitude and resolve of his players through what has been a rough season.
“What we talked about after the game was commending them on continuing to be professional and still show up to these games with the right attitude and right approach,” Derek said. I’ve been in this business for a long time and I’ve seen a lot of guys and a lot of teams just go through the motions at this point in the season.”
KNICKS STOP SIXERS
After a trying two-point performance Friday, Bargnani bounced back in a big way and came out ready to play Sunday, tallying 25 points and recording four blocks.
“He’s an extremely talented player. The injuries really limited his ability to reach his ceiling or get closer to it,” Derek said. “So whatever the futures hold in that regard, I think the way he is finishing this season is not only showing us but showing other teams as well that he is a very capable player still at this point of his career. If he is back that is great.”
The Knicks played hard on the all night, recording 14 blocks, and 49 rebounds.
“I think that comes from the fact that nobody is giving up,” Bargnani said. “Despite our record, everybody keeps building on what we’re trying to build. So today it showed on the defensive end.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing Sunday as the Knicks lost the turnover battle 18-10, and allowed 48 points in the paint. Overall, D-Fish liked his team’s defensive effort, however, apart from a rough second quarter.
“The guys were active. To give up 91 points on 99 field goal attempts is a pretty decent night on the defensive end,” Fish said.
New York jumped out to a 26-20 lead after one, but the Sixers went off for 31 points in the second to shave three points off the lead at the half.
Despite holding a seven-point lead going into the final frame, the Knicks trailed the Sixers 85-83 with 5:34 left in the game, when Philadelphia guard Ish Smith nailed a floater.
However, New York went back to the basics to win on its home floor. The Knicks retook the lead, and extend it, with clutch shooting from the line. The Knicks went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe after the 5:34 mark, and went on to win by a comfortable double-digit victory of 101-91.
D.C. DEFEAT
As Derek put it, the Knicks were punched in the face early by the playoff-bound Washington Wizards—but they never did quit through 48 minutes.
New York shot just 4-of-19 in the first quarter to fall behind 30-10, but the second unit battled back in the second. Ricky Ledo and Quincy Acy led the way, combining for 21 points, as the Knicks shot 64.7 percent as a team, making more field goals (11) than they had points in the first 12 minutes.
“I wish we could have four of those over,” Fish said of his team’s big second frame. “I thought the guys in the second unit really responded to getting punched in the face right way to start the game. They just fought, one possession at the time. That’s what we’re trying to become.”
Ledo finished with a game- and career-high 21 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists. Acy finished with 14 points and five boards, earning some high praise from Coach Fish afterward.
“Quincy, from day one, has always given us maximum effort and energy,” Derek said. “That’s what we’re trying to ask of every guy. Even though guys will make mistakes, if you’re giving everything you have, we can’t ask any more of you.”
The Knicks trailed by just eight at the break, but the assist machine John Wall found his rhythm after the break. New York did an excellent job limiting wall offensively, forcing him to shoot just 3-of-13 on the night, but while a tough Knicks defense held Wall down all night, another of the All-Star guard’s strengths surfaced.
Wall tallied a career-high 18 assists on the night, more than all the Knicks put together (17). Seven of those came in the third quarter, giving D.C. an 83-67 cushion going into the fourth quarter.
The Wizards held a double-digit lead the whole fourth period and went on to take the victory 101-87, sealed by an emphatic dunk from Rasual Butler with 1.3 seconds left that rubbed some of the Knicks players the wrong way.
“They dunked it at the end there,’’ said Knicks center Lou Amundson. “I don’t know if that was needed. I don’t know if that was it
[the timeout].’’
The dunk put the Wiz over the 100-point mark, which means the D.C. faithful get a 50 percent discount on Papa John’s pizza. The late dunk prompted Fish to say, “pizza doesn’t taste that great” afterward, and he also elaborated on the philosophy of scoring when the game is well in hand.
“Some teams run it out; I’ve seen it go both ways. We’re in that position right now, where teams have that opportunity,” Derek explained. “But it won’t always be that way. We’ll have those nights where we’ll have that choice.’’
NEXT UP
The Knicks will have a few days off until they host the Indiana Pacers Wednesday April 8.
The Pacers have struggled on the road this year going 13-25, but will be riding an emotional high having their superstar, Paul George, back for just the second game all season after suffering a grueling injury this off eason.
Both teams are coming off wins and will look to ride that momentum Wednesday.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
RELATED LINKS
- Knicks snap 9-game losing streak with 101-91 win over Sixers (AP, April 06 2015)
- Sixers at Knicks Boxscore (NBA.com April 06 2015)
- Fisher, Knicks ticked at showboating Wizards after rout. (NY Post, April 3, 2015)
- Gortat and Beal lead Wizards past Knicks 101-87 (AP, April 03 2015)
- Fisher On Knicks Snapping Losing Streak (MSG, April 5, 2015)
- Fisher on late game timeout in Knicks loss (MSG, April 3, 2015)
