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If there were fans, the Garden devotees would have spent MLK day singing “De-Closing”.
The defensive momentum from Sunday’s rout in Boston continued into MLK Day, as the Knicks stopped the Magic in a 91-84 afternoon win at the Fanless Garden.
The Knicks also couldn’t shoot – not even free throws – as the day turned into a garden brick festival. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau relished that ugly win straight out of the 1990s when he started his first stint with the franchise as an assistant coach.
The Knicks held on despite a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
“I love to win, so with a low score, a high score, an average score, it doesn’t matter,” said Thibodeau. “I just want to win. Whatever we need to do to find a way to win and get better every day, I want to play our best down the line.
With the clutch performance of RJ Barrett (22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) and a more defensive discipline, the Knicks recorded their first consecutive victories in three years.
Breaking the drought of 40 straight sets without a sweep was a testament to the Knicks’ preparation under Thibodeau. The Knicks’ two-game winning streak pushed their record up to 7-8, beating preseason expectations. In a 72-game schedule, they are on track for 33.6 wins.
“They showed a lot of tenacity,” added Thibodeau. “I knew it would be a challenge for us – back to back, early start. We played with the head for most of the game. Then we took the blow to start the fourth quarter. Having the ability to take a punch, keep fighting, and find a way to win is a big part of this league. I loved the tenacity we showed throughout the streak. ”
Neither team hit 40% shooting. The Knicks, who had lost five in a row before this back-to-back, shot 35.6%, Orlando 33.7%. The Knicks won despite a terrible 3-ball shot (5 of 27).
“Two huge wins for us,” said Randle. “It could have been three – Cleveland’s win, but we kind of let that one slip away. But those are two huge wins on an extremely difficult back-to-back, first two games. It is really difficult. I think this is the first time in my career that I have had this. It was extremely difficult. But we won the game with our fight, our passion, the way we played for each other and we just fought on the defensive. We have come back to our principles. Our defense is what got us the game today. I am proud of everyone. ”
The Knicks rocked Randle’s rare day of shooting (5 of 19) to claim a key victory before embarking on a four-game trip to the West Coast.
But Randle hit a clutch drive layup that put the Knicks in front 83-81 with 56 seconds left. And he still managed to score 21 points and 17 rebounds as he made 8 of 12 in the line.
“I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean, my God,” Randle said.
Barrett made the key defensive play when he knocked down a pass from Aaron Gordon with 40 seconds left. Reggie Bullock picked up the loose ball and Barrett finished it with a quick layup for an 85-81 lead. The garden would have gone nuts.
The Knicks held the Magic (6-8) to a meager 13 points in the first quarter before Orlando woke up in the fourth before losing their sixth in a row. The injury-ridden Magic misses Evan Fournier, Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, among others.
Magic rookie point guard Cole Anthony, a Manhattan product in his first game against the Knicks, shot just 2 of 12 – both make 3 runs.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have got a solid point guard. Starter Elfrid Payton, the former Orlando PG, scored 12 points, four assists and a rare dunk on a drive sliding through the lane against his former team.
“I feel like we took a big step today,” Payton said.
Knicks rookie and backup point guard Immanuel Quickley continued as an offensive jerk in the first half as he racked up 11 points in 11 minutes, hitting his usual array of driving floats. But he was scoreless in the second half when Orlando jumped up.
Although they returned from Boston early on Sunday night, the Knicks were on Garden Court at 10 a.m. Monday to host a morning shooting session.
“We find ways to win and that’s the important part,” Randle said. “One thing we know we can count on is our defense every night and our rebounds. ”
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