Knicks buzz Clippers in wire-to-wire 116-93 rout
RJ led the way as the Knicks finally got back into the W column. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
At least for one night, the Knicks were back to being winners.
Riding RJ Barrett’s 24 points and a strong showing from the young bench, the Knicks snapped their seven-game losing streak by pounding the Clippers on Sunday night in L.A., 116-93.
It wasn’t especially close. The Knicks (26-39) never trailed, holding a double-digit lead for the final 34 minutes to win for the first time in nearly a month.
The Clippers (34-32), who weren’t playing injured duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, cut the deficit to 12 at the start of the fourth quarter, feeding concerns the ‘Bockers would blow another big lead.
But this time, the reserves—led by Cam Reddish and Immanuel Quickley –promptly killed the Clippers comeback and momentum. With Reddish and Quickley taking turns scoring, the Knicks began the fourth quarter on a 20-4 run.
The game-breaking stretch also occurred with Miles McBride at point guard, perhaps giving coach Tom Thibodeau confidence to play the rookie more moving forward.
Reddish finished with 17 points, which was his highest since joining the Knicks in February. Quickley dropped 19 points with 10 rebounds.
Julius Randle, who was fined $50,000 by the NBA earlier in the day for his scuffle Friday night with Phoenix’s Cam Johnson, struggled in L.A. with just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
