How It Happened:The Knicks nearly played spoiler again to a team fighting for playoff positioning. After trailing by nine late in the fourth quarter, New York rallied on a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to 97-95 with 3:23 on the game clock. Two minutes later, Carmelo Anthony utilized a jab step to free himself for a jumper over Kelly Oubre Jr. to tie the game at 101-101. Bradley Beal answered on the other side of court with a corner 3-pointer and 48 seconds remaining in the contest. Following two successful free throws from Anthony, Beal hit a pair at the strip to extend the Wizards lead to 106-103 with 8.9 seconds to go. Anthony’s last-second shot attempt from downtown just missed and Washington managed to escape the Garden with a 106-103 victory. Beal and John Wall combined for 49 points as the Wizards improved to 48-31 on the season.
Knick of the Night:Anthony scored a team-high 23 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out four assists. Notables:Justin Holiday registered 16 points off the pine, Willy Hernangomez posted 13 points and eight rebounds, and Ron Baker finished with 12 points.
News and Notes:Kristaps Porzingis missed his second straight game due to a sore back. Chasson Randle was also sidelined with a sprained ankle suffered in the Tuesday night contest at MSG. Statistically Speaking:New York owned two key categories tonight as it outscored Washington 44-38 in the paint and 26-5 in fastbreak points.
Next Up:The Knicks hit the road for the final back-to-back game of the regular season. On Friday evening, New York will face the Grizzlies in Memphis with all the coverage on MSG Network.