By Shara Talia Taylor
It was a meaningful game for Knicks players and competitive for both teams, but a strong defense and aggressive offense at clutch moments helped push the Knicks past the Miami Heat in 124-121 victory last Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
“We got great great effort all the way down the lineup tonight,” said Interim Coach Mike Miller. “I could go on about every guy, but I’m very very happy for our group. It’s a big win for us.”
Taj Gibson faced off against friend Jimmy Butler, a teammate during his time with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. “I’ve been with him my whole career so you know his tendencies,” said Gibson. “You know what kind of player he is.”
Olympian Dominique Dawes To Open Maryland Gymnastics School
He said there’s love even though it’s a competition.“Its a competitive sport, but memories and blood sweat and tears, you can’t ever change that,” Gibson said. Butler led his team with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Miami Heat was in second place in the Eastern Conference on Sunday with 26 wins, but the Knicks were aggressive.
Knicks were ahead by five points with about 5:24 remaining in the first quarter when Coach Spoelstra called for a timeout. The Heat made a quick comeback and led 31-27 at the end of the first quarter. Knicks trailed 60-55 at half time and by third quarter the Heat were ahead by 14 points, their largest lead in the game.
“We were resilient all game,” said Barrett. “I think we were down 10 going in to the fourth quarter, but we just played hard.”
Knicks were down 84-94 at the start of the 4th quarter. Gibson drove in with a reverse layup with about 2:50 remaining on the clock, creating momentum for the team, leaving the Knicks behind one point, 114-113.
He said in that moment he thought, “Just kind of stay poised, stay aggressive, keep the guys motivated, just play.”
Next, a steal and three point shot by Julius Randle gave the Knicks the lead, 116-114. Barrett’s final free throw brought the score to 124-121.
Randle led the Knicks with 26 points and 8 rebounds. It was his first game back following the death of his grandmother. A moment of silence was held in her honor prior to the start of the game. “My grandmother left an incredible legacy and mark on my life and my family so it has been tough,” Randle said. “It’ll still be tough, but tonight was special and I really felt her out there the whole time.”
The Knicks traveled to Milwaukee this past Tuesday before hosting the Suns tonight.
Recent Comments