Call It A Streak!
Coming off a stunning victory over the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks wanted to give their fans something more to be thankful for at the Garden on Friday night.
The New York Knicks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 114-109 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Emmanuel Mudiay scored a season-high 27 points while Alonzo Trier scored a career-best 25 points as New York finally knows what a winning streak looks like during the 2018-19 season.
The New York Knicks (6-14) had not won a game at home in over a month, and they just recently were on a six-game losing streak, but with a gritty and energetic effort on Friday over New Orleans, are bringing a much needed level of enthusiasm to the City.
New York didn’t have an answer for Anthony Davis again, who followed his 43-point domination last week vs the Knicks with 33 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pelicans led after each of the first quarters, albeit by the slimmest of margins, which provided David Fizdale’s team with the challenge of winning a game where the lead eluded them.
New York trailed by nine with six minutes remaining in the game, and looking as if they were headed to an inevitable loss, Mudiay and Trier would rally the Knicks.
Mudiay would score eight straight points to bring the game to 103-100 with 3:18 remaining. It would then be Trier’s turn, who scored New York’s next basket before giving the Knicks a 104-103 lead with two made free throws.
Trier and Mudiay would score 23 of New York’s 27 fourth quarter points and New York would battle their way to victory over a tough-minded Pelicans team.
New York’s defense held New Orleans to 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from downtown as they were once again rock solid on that end of the floor.
David Fizdale wants his team to be calm in big moments, something he always preaches. He’s still searching for which players can take heed to his words, Friday’s performance shows he has two players willing to be aggressive and pick up the team when needed.
Allonzo Trier is a dynamic talent, one that’s quickly becoming a steal from a 2018 Draft Class where his name wasn’t called.
His exuberance and grind it out style is a breath of fresh air for a Knicks team that can be mostly inconsistent on the defensive end.
Emmanuel Mudiay is taking advantage of his opportunity to start, likely given a vote of confidence from his coach after a quiet five point performance on Wednesday where he only made one of his five attempts in 20 minutes of action.
New York’s effort on Friday extended beyond those two players. Enes Kanter recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Noah Vonleh stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
The New York Knicks will visit the FedExForum on Sunday to play the Memphis Grizzlies as they look to extend their streak.
What was the most impressive aspect of the Knicks victory on Friday night? Leave your comments below!