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Immanuel Quickley fell face down on the court and swam with his arms and legs after nailing his third of five 3-pointers on Friday night.
The electrifying rookie point guard helped the Knicks turn the tide after three straight losses to end their recent road trip, scoring 25 points in 23 minutes on the bench, including 14 in the fourth quarter, in a 102 win. -81 against Cleveland at the garden.
The Knicks (9-11) held all-star big man Andre Drummond to just four points – albeit with 15 rebounds – in another solid defensive effort, despite nine combined faults between centers Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel.
Darius Garland had 24 points for the Cavaliers, who scored just 37 in the first period and 55 in three quarters. The 81 points were the second fewest points granted by these Knicks this season, behind just the 75 they held the Celtics to on January 17.
RJ Barrett contributed 24 points, Austin Rivers added 13 off the bench and Julius Randle finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who face the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Sunday.
Quickley, who continues to press starting goalie Elfrid Payton (two points in 23 minutes) for playing time, also converted the Knicks’ first 4-point game of the season with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Kentucky’s 25th overall pick had shot just 1-for-11 from the floor in Tuesday’s loss to Utah, one game after hitting a career-high 31 in the previous game in Portland.
Robinson had said ahead of the game he was focused on his clash with Drummond, who dominated in a 106-103 win over the Knicks on Jan. 15 with 33 points and 23 rebounds.
“Oh definitely. Tonight I’m going to play a lot smarter. I’m going to come here and go, give the best of myself, ”said Robinson, who scored six points and committed five fouls on Friday night.
Robinson was also under-15 in Tuesday’s loss to Utah and topped on the stats sheet by All-Star center Rudy Gobert (18 points, 19 rebounds).
When asked if he was considering cranking up numbers like Drummond and Gobert, Robinson added, “I know I can defend. I don’t really compare myself to other players. I mean, I’m worried about our team. Other players, they can talk about anything they want to talk about. I’m just talking about us as the Knicks.
The Knicks missed eight of nine shots and spotted Cleveland an early 13-3 lead, but Rivers and Quickley combined for a dozen runs in a 16-4 inning for a two-run lead at the end of the quarter. .
Randle didn’t attempt a basket until four minutes were left in the second quarter, but his 19-foot, two-dunk jumper from Robinson gave the Knicks a 38-31 lead. Two practices and a three-turn by Barrett extended the Knicks’ lead to 14, and they extended a 47-33 lead in intermission.
Drummond only had four points in the half, but Noel was called out for three fouls and Robinson had two, which sparked the first appearance of veteran big man Taj Gibson – albeit for only a minute – since ‘he signed to return to the Knicks on January 7. .
The Cavs shot just 29 percent from the ground and were 2 for 10 of 3 points in two quarters, but Sexton and Garland combined for 16 points in a 19-2 wave to open the third to help close the gap at 52 -49.
The Knicks warmed up with a 12-1 run to close the quarter, however, including a base dunk for a three-point game by Quickley and a late three by the rookie point guard for a 72-55 lead in the fourth.
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