Knicks Conjure a Win Against Porziņģis, Wizards
Metropolitan magic ruled the night at Capital One Arena on Friday night.
Jalen Brunson had 34 points for the New York Knicks while Immanuel Quickley tallied 18 off the bench en route to an 112-108 victory over the Washington Wizards. In front of their former All-Star representative Kristaps Porziņģis, the Knicks (24-19) earned their sixth win over the past seven and their third in a row on the road.
Julius Randle (23 points, 16 rebounds) kept his double-double rolling with his 15th in the last 16 games while Brunson reached at least 30 points for the fourth time over the past five games. The former is set to go viral thanks to a show-stopping dunk just before the midway mark of the third quarter, when he barreled into a moving Daniel Gafford for not only two thrilling points but an and-one opportunity.
Though Quickley has returned to the bench with RJ Barrett rehabilitated, he once again showed his prowess as a depth star, accounting for half of the Knicks' points in a 14-0 run at the onset of the fourth quarter, giving them a permanent lead.
Porziņģis still remembered for his early-career exploits with the Knicks upon his NBA arrival in 2015, had 21 points in defeat but required 19 attempts from the field to make it there. Friday marked Porziņģis' first showdown with the Knicks as a Wizard, having joined Washington (18-25) last February.
Kyle Kuzma, a potential New York trade target before the upcoming transactional deadline, led all Friday scorers with 38. Washington has dropped four of its past five and failed to make up any ground in its Play-In Tournament bid, now 1.5 games behind Toronto for 10th place.
Despite their loss, the Wizards certainly didn't make things easy on the Knicks in the end: a Brunson triple made it an 11-point game with 2:15 remaining but a quick 9-2 run, all but two of the points coming from Kuzma, narrowed the gap to three with 27 seconds remaining. Randle sank only half of a two-foul shot opportunity and was later charged with a three-freebie shooting foul when Kuzma sought further shrinkage. However, he only hit two of three of the ensuing attempts, allowing Brunson to earn his final points of the night courtesy of Washington fouls, securing the New York victory.
The Knicks and Wizards won't have to wait long to get reacquainted, as Washington visits Madison Square Garden next Wednesday night. In the meantime, the Knicks will cap off a busy weekend with a Sunday matinee against the Detroit Pistons (1 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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