heropost

Charlie Widdoes

On Fan Appreciation Night at Madison Square Garden, two fans hit shots to win thousands of dollars and all in attendance enjoyed a variety of special features, but the Pistons were too much for the Knicks to handle in a 112-90 loss.

Tim Hardaway Jr. remained hot, scoring 25 points after helping lead the Knicks to consecutive victories on the road, but Detroit had the advantage in both rebounds and points in the paint. A 3rd quarter rally brought New York to within two points, but Reggie Jackson (24 points, 11 assists) and the Pistons pulled away and cruised to victory in the 4th.

Cole Aldrich turned in another stellar performance, finishing with 24 points and 15 boards in the loss.

Hardaway tied a season high with his 25 points, but needed only 12 shots to get there. He also connected on 5-of-8 attempts from downtown.

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NYK 90, DET 112: Knicks Fall on Fan Appreciation Night

In the Knicks' final road game of the season, they defeated the 60-win Hawks.

"It wasn't pretty, it wasn't perfect, but we got the job done," said Derek Fisher after his team pulled out an impressive 112-80 victory, its first back-to-back wins away from home all year.

Atlanta jumped out to an 11-2 lead, but on the heels of a hard-fought win Orlando, the Knicks didn't blink; by the beginning of the 1st quarter, New York had taken the lead behind 13 points and three assists from the previous game's hero, Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Knicks would lead by as many as 17 points in the 2nd quarter, thanks to an offensive onslaught that would continue the rest of the night. Quincy Acy scored eight of his 12 points in the period and New York's 62 points tied a season high for scoring output in a half.

The Hawks mounted their run in the 4th quarter, when Kyle Korver caught fire with four 3s to help them tie the game at 87. But the Knicks responded, burying three 3s of their own to stretch the lead back to nine. Fisher's squad shot 56 perfect from the field in the win, including 13-of-25 (52%) from downtown.

Langston Gallaway was simply tremendous. His career-high 26 points came on 10-of-12 shooting and against one of the league's premier point guards in Jeff Teague. Galloway made all six of his 3-point attempts and dished out six assists and pulled down five boards to complete the brilliant preformance.

Making his 40th start of the season, Galloway turned in his best effort yet. The six 3s tied both the Knicks rookie and NBA undrafted rookie record for most makes in a game.

The Knicks head home for the final game of the season -- Fan Appreciation Night at the Garden on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

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NYK 112, ATL 108: Galloway's Career Night Lifts Knicks Over Hawks

On the second night of the season's final back-to-back, the Knicks refused to lose.

Cole Aldrich set the tone -- scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the 1st quarter -- and Tim Hardaway Jr. found his shot at just the right time in an exciting 80-79 victory in Orlando on Saturday night. 

New York started out hot, taking a 30-24 lead into the 2nd quarter behind Aldrich's paint dominance. Then they clamped down; for the first 7:40 of the 2nd quarter, the Magic did not score. The Knicks allowed just seven points in the entire period, tying a franchise record.

But the Magic fought back, reeling off a 9-0 run early in the 4th quarter cut the Knicks lead to five. Willie Green connected on three 3s as the teams exchanged leads down the stretch.

With the game tied at 77 and 12 seconds remaining, it was Hardaway -- who had shot 2-for-14 before scoring the Knicks' final seven points -- who delivered the game-winner from three feet beyond the arc on the left wing.

Aldrich set a career high with 19 points to go with his 14 rebounds in 26 minutes. He was dominant against Orlando big man Nikola Vucevic.

The two teams combined to score 15 points in the 2nd quarter, which made it the lowest-scoring quarter in NBA history...Langston Galloway scored all nine of his points in the 3rd quarter. Jason Smith pitched in with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks in 31 minutes.

The Knicks fly to Atlanta for their final road game of the season, a battle with the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks on Monday night.

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NYK 80, ORL 79: Hardaway Beats Magic on Aldrich's Big Night

Facing a Milwaukee team needing a win to give itself a chance to clinch a playoff berth, the Knicks couldn't overcome a sluggish 3rd quarter in a 99-91 loss at the Garden on Friday night. 

The Bucks opened up with a 28-21 the opening frame, but New York fought back behind inspired efforts from guards Shane Larkin and Langston Galloway to head to halftime trailing by only three. The first half was full of energy plays; Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down an impressive dunk, but Quincy Acy answered right back with a thunderous alley-oop finish from Lou Amundson.

Milwaukee opened up a double-digit advantage with a 17-2 run to start the 3rd, but Derek Fisher's squad fought until the very end, outscoring the visitors, 26-18 in the 4th.

In a balanced team effort, Galloway led the Knicks in scoring with 20 points to go with his 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Tim Hardaway Jr. went down early with a wrist injury, but he would return to score seven points and pull down five rebounds in 25 minutes...Amundson logged a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Knicks complete their final back-to-back of the season tomorrow night in Orlando at 7 p.m. on MSG Network.

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NYK 91, MIL 99: Bucks 3rd Quarter Dooms Knicks

Back to full strength with Paul George healthy and looking to make a playoff run, the Pacers flexed their muscles in a 102-86 win on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks held Indiana's All-Star to 2-of-7 shooting in his second game back from a broken leg, but shot only 35 percent themselves in the loss. Langston Galloway led five Knicks in double-figure scoring, but the Pacers finished with an 54-34 advantage on the glass and outscored New York in the paint, 50-22.

Galloway was the Knicks' most consistent performer, giving full effort from start to finish. Not only did he pour in a team-high 19 points, but he pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists.

Cleanthony Early (ankle) did not play. Derek Fisher said he could return by Saturday's contest in Orlando.

The Knicks will practice tomorrow in preparation to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Friday night at MSG.

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NYK 86, IND 102: Galloway's 19 Not Enough Against Pacers

Jonah Ballow

Early in the first quarter, the Knicks battled back from an early seven-point deficit and late in the game, the road team closed strong on a 18-8 run in the fourth quarter to complete the 101-91 victory over the Sixers.  With over five minutes remaining in the contest, New York was locked 83-83 with the Sixers but a back-door cut that led to a Langston Galloway two-handed flush and a gigantic swat from Jason Smith helped to fuel a prolific fourth quarter for the home team.  The Knicks managed to outscore the Sixers 22-19 in the final stanza while snapping a nine-game slide.  The fans at MSG witnessed a back-and-forth affair featuring nine lead changes and eight times both teams were tied.  In the end, New York’s 52 percent shooting from the floor and staunch defense that held Philadelphia to 38 percent, generated a victory for the orange and blue in the season series finale against the Sixers.

Andrea Bargnani caught fire in the middle of the first quarter and carried the offensive load for the Knicks in a 25-point night.  The big man added eight boards, four assists, and four blocks to an impressive stat line and arguably his best performance of the season.

The Numbers Game  As a team, the Knicks recorded 14 blocks tonight, just one shy of a franchise record.

Cleanthony Early did not suit up tonight due to an injured ankle suffered in the Friday night defeat to the Wizards.  Head coach Derek Fisher told the media Early could return on Wednesday.

The Knicks have the next two days to prepare for a matchup against the Pacers as Indiana continues to fight for a spot in the postseason and just welcomed back Paul George to the lineup.  New York hosts the Pacers on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM.

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NYK 101, PHI 91: Bargnani's Big Night and Knicks' 14 Swats Help Snap Slide

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Knicks Square Off Against Wizards In D.C.

The early sprint by the Wizards nearly buried the Knicks as the home team fell behind by 20 after one quarter of action in the nation’s capital.  Washington blitzed New York on a 19-0 run in the first frame and held the Knicks to just 10 points.

The Knicks managed to bounce back nicely in the second quarter behind the strong play of Ricky Ledo and Quincy Acy off the pine.  Both players combined for 22 of New York’s 36 points while it outscored the Wizards 36-24. 

Entering the third quarter, the Knicks only trailed by eight points but Washington mirrored its first quarter start by gaining separation on a 16-8 run to start the third period.  The spurt provided the cushion, which effectively ended any comeback attempt from New York in the 101-87 defeat.

John Wall dropped 18 dimes and Marcin Gortat added 19 points for a Wizards team attempting to make a strong push to the postseason.  Washington scored 60 points in the paint despite missing starting forward Nene in the lineup.

Ledo turned in his best performance in a Knicks uniform with a career-high 21 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 at the stripe.  The New York newcomer added nine boards and three assists to his impressive stat line.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (wrist) returned to action after missing the previous nine games.  Cleanthony Early suffered a sprained ankle in the first half and despite negative X-rays, the rookie did not step back on the floor on Saturday night.

The Knicks jumped on a plane following the contest in Washington D.C. and will head back to New York.  On Sunday evening, the squad will return to the Garden for the season series finale against the Sixers.