The New York Knicks began their long home stretch by hosting the New Orleans Pelicans. They came into the game having won 5 straight. They were aiming to keep the engine going and get number 6. New Orleans looked like they were going to snap their win streak at times, New York kept fighting.
It was a slow start for both teams. New Orleans took their first lead only three minutes into the first quarter. It was not long until New York started to creep up on them. RJ Barrett hit a three-pointer to make it a 1-point game. Yet another bucket from downtown from Barrett tied the game at 19 toward the end of the quarter. After Derrick Rose went to the line, New York would regain the lead. That would be short-lived though. New Orleans went into the second up 25-21.
Julius Randle took to the line to shoot 3 free throws, making it a 1-point game again after a foul in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Shortly after, New York went on a 10-0 run and took a 5-point advantage at the 7:16 mark. Just under the halfway point, New York’s lead stretched to 10. By the quarter’s end, they were up 13. It was a 57-44 at the half.
New Orleans opened up the third with a 13-2 run. It was down to a 3-point game early on. The rest of the way, it was going back and forth. The game was all knotted up at 69 with about 5 minutes to go. It was later tied three more times. After being down by as much as 13, New Orleans went into the fourth all tied at 79 with New York.
At the start of the fourth, New Orleans had 2 fruitful possessions. However, after that New York went on another run, scoring 9 unanswered points. New Orleans ended up coming back and made it a tight game down the stretch. They were up 103-100 with 7.8 left. Rose was inbounding for New York and passed the ball to Kevin Knox. After receiving the ball back, he faked a layup and dished it to Reggie Bullock. Seconds later, Bullock hit a three to send it to overtime.
During overtime, New York was in the driver’s seat. New Orleans had a series of turnovers which New York capitalized off of. With 54 seconds left, Randle knocked down a bucket from downtown as the shot clock expired. Immanuel Quickley sealed the deal with 2 free throws. New York beat New Orleans 122-112 in overtime to earn their 6th straight win.
Randle finished with a double-double, earning 33 points and 10 assists. Behind him was Rose with 23 points. Finally, Barrett had 18 and Bullock put up 15.
Coach Stan Van Gundy of New Orleans showed his frustration in the postgame about not fouling Bullock or Rose to prevent the extra period. He even mentioned that a high school basketball team could have done it.
“I don’t care if you’re a senior in high school,” he said. “You can execute what we’re supposed to be doing with 7.8 seconds to go,” he added. “There’s no excuses.”
Eric Bledsoe who played a significant during the second half, admitted Van Gundy told them to foul in the huddle.
“No one was paying attention,” he said. “There was a lack of focus.”
Up Next:
Both teams will take the court again on Tuesday, April 20th at 7:30 pm. New York will look for number 7 as they host Charlotte. Then, New Orleans will try to snap their 3-game slump as they host Brooklyn.
