Washington Wizards show guts in a 108-101 loss to the New York Knicks – NBA Recap
The Washington Wizards might have been without their star point guard John Wall, who is out till December with a knee issue, but that didn’t stop them from giving a powerful New York Knicks side a run for its money.
Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 17 points in nearly 22 minutes while rookie Bradley Beal added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Their efforts were however not enough to halt a balanced Knicks attack, which ensured a 108-101
final scoreline.
Five Knicks scored in double figures on the night with three point shooting sensation Steve Novak leading the pack. The sharp shooter continued from where he left off last season, and drilled a perfect - 7 from the three point
range for a game high 21 points.
J.R. Smith was not far behind with 20 points on an 8 for 11 shooting and 6 assists. Argentinean guard Pablo Prigioni added 14 points while Tyson Chandler had 13 on the night. On a night when Amare Stoudemire was nursing a bruised
left knee, Carmelo Anthony played for 20 odd minutes and managed 17 points, which included 3 three pointers.
Washington has 9-5 lead early, but the Knicks soon got into their groove and racked up a 16-2run to take a 21-11 lead. That was just the start, and by the time the first quarter ended, New York had established a 38-21 advantage.
The home crowd seemed stunned by the first quarter assault, but the Wizards responded emphatically. Paced by Beal, they thundered to a 22 point unanswered run to turn a 17 points deficit into a 43-38 lead. Beal scored 7 points
in that span, including a three.
Knicks tried to force their way back, but the Wizards responded every time. They outscored the visitors by 20 points in the second frame and went into the interval with a 56-53 edge.
Knicks turned the tide in their favour in the third, and were leading by seven midway through it, before the Wizard pounced back to tie the game at 80, with seconds remaining in the quarter. They remained within a striking distance
till the first five minutes of the fourth, but back to back three pointers from Novak within a span of 28 second put a full-stop to their resurgence. From there on the Knicks cruised.
The Knicks were scorching hot from the land of three, sinking in 18 of their 31 attempts.
Tags: