Clinched! Knicks Conjure a Playoff Spot With Win Over Wizards
Many have credited Jalen Brunson as the driving force behind the New York Knicks' return to the NBA postseason conversation. It was thus only appropriate that the point guard played a major role in the official clinching.
A 27-point follow-up to Brunson's career-best from Friday night partly paced the Knicks on Sunday evening, when they sealed a spot amongst the Eastern Conference's automatic six entrants with a 118-109 win over the Washington Wizards. The Knicks (46-33) are thus back in the postseason for the second time in the last three years and will likely sit in the fifth seed upon the tournament tip-off later this month.
Brunson was one of four New Yorkers with at least 20 points, joined by fellow leading scorer and fellow starting five fixture Quentin Grimes with a matching 27. Obi Toppin put forth another respectable showing with 21 while subbing for Julius Randle while Immanuel Quickley came in for late medical scratch RJ Barrett to score 22.
The Knicks held off the early challenges of a Wizards group that was missing its three stars in Kristaps Porzingis, Bradley Beal, and Kyle Kuzma. Washington built an early lead thanks primarily to a surprisingly dominant effort in the second quarter, winning the frame 30-19. New York's defense once again rose to the occasion in the second half, limiting the Wizards (34-44) to 48 points over the final 24 minutes. Most of that tally was earned in garbage time.
Corey Kispert led Washington with 29 points, setting a career-high for the second straight game, in defeat. In addition to punching their playoff ticket, the Knicks secured their third straight season series victory over the Wizards and moved a season-best 13 games over .500. It was a loss that officially eliminated the Wizards from any sort of postseason contention, keeping them outside of the East's final eight for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Firmly gaining the "x" next to their name in standings didn't come easy for the Knicks: the desperate, depleted Wizards made a final stand for late inclusion amongst the Play-In Tournament contenders in the first half, as Kispert earned 14 points in the first quarter. A 17-4 run to open the second frame, featuring a pair of triples from former Knick Taj Gibson, allowed Washington to take an unexpected double-figure lead. Washington shot 55 percent in the first half en route to an eight-point halftime lead.
The Knicks brought things back to earth in the third with a Brunson/Grimes/Quickley shooting masterclass: the trio united for an 11-of-15 output from the field, with Brunson going a perfect 4-for-4. Further forcing seven turnovers from the reeling Wizards, the Knicks earned a 33-18 advantage in the third quarter to the final period into a relative victory, putting the finishing touches on the affair by taking a lead that reached as high as 20. With their 18-point third quarter, the Knicks have allowed few than 20 points during a second half period in three straight games, all victories.
As it stands, the fifth-seeded Knicks are three games behind No. 4 Cleveland, which topped the Indiana Pacers later on Sunday night, for homecourt advantage in a first-round matchup. Though only three games remain on each side's schedule, the Knicks own the tiebreaker thanks to a 3-1 series victory against the Cavaliers secured on Friday.
New York heads to Indianapolis to battle those same Pacers, who were eliminated with that loss, on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG). The immediate team behind the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, is 2.5 games behind the Knicks in sixth with a contest in hand.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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