The New York Knicks went 2-2 during their west coast road trip. We go over the trip by taking a look at five takeaways from the games.
The New York Knicks just wrapped up their longest road trip of the season. They went on a four-game West Coast trip, visiting the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. To the surprise of many, the Knicks split those games, going 2-2.
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Given the current state of the organization, this was a strong road trip for New York. They fired head coach David Fizdale just days before the trip began, naming Mike Miller their interim head coach. Miller does not have much NBA experience, but has plenty of head coaching experience and he had the Knicks competing a majority of this road trip.
Things got off to a bad start, as the Trail Blazers blew the doors off of the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony must have gotten his new teammates up to play against his old team, as Portland jumped New York early and never let up, winning 115-87.
Riding a 10-game losing streak, the Knicks came out determined to end that streak against the Warriors. They led by as many as 22 points, but came out flat in the second half. The Warriors took the lead in the fourth quarter, but the game eventually went to overtime after D’Angelo Russell hit a 3-pointer late.
New York pulled the win out in overtime, giving them their first win since Nov. 18. They enjoyed the feeling so much, they went and did it again against the Kings, picking up a 103-101 victory. Once again, they dug themselves an early hole, trailing 32-20 after the first quarter, but climbed back for a win.
Unfortunately, they were unable to run the winning streak to three games. The Knicks trailed big early on against the Nuggets and they looked ready to get on the plane at halftime, as they were down by as many as 20 points. However, they came out with a spirited effort in the second half, as they took the lead in the fourth quarter, going ahead by as many as five points.
They were unable to close that one out, however, as they went scoreless for 5:46, which ultimately did them in.
While the Knicks have struggled mightily this season, they have played harder and more spirited basketball under Miller. This road trip still featured some negatives, but there were some positives as well. Check out our five takeaways from the Knicks’ four-game road trip.