Tennie Sumague
EBC New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News) — On the 50th anniversary of their first game at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were looking to take command against the Washington Wizards. Up by as many as 27, the Knicks were on fire led by Tim Hardaway Jr’s 32 of his game high 37 points in the first half.
But Bradley Beal and the Wizards sparked a magical comeback – the largest of this season in the NBA, blowing the lifeless Knicks away and handing them their eighth straight loss with a 118-113 victory Wednesday night.
“It’s twofold because you never want to be down in a game, but it’s great that we won,” Beal said about the comeback. “I guess it is something that we can be proud of, but we still can’t come out with that type of focus and and energy we had because it could have gotten ugly. We could have been down 30 or 40 if we didn’t turn it on.”
Down by 21 at halftime, the Wizards outscored the Knicks 39-15 led by Beal, who scored 12 of his 36 points in the third quarter. Markieff Morris gave Washington their first lead of the game since tip off with a three and took a 90-87 leading into the fourth.
Courtney Lee gave the Knicks back the lead 94-93 with 9:41 remaining but the Wizards took advantage the final six minutes and pulled ahead for good.
Otto Porter Jr. had 22 points and Ian Mahinmi added 17 points for the Wizards, who currently hold the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
As for the Knicks, they continue to struggle without their star player, Kristaps Porzingis, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Hardaway, who has been struggling the past seven games, went 6-for-9 from the three-point line, but was limited to just five points in the second half. The Wizards’ defense and offense kicked in as the Knicks shot 21.7 percent in the third quarter.
“It’s embarrassing,” said Hardaway about the loss. “They were down 27 and we had the opportunity to close the door and go into the break with a great mindset. It sucks to let this one go like that.”
The Knicks will have plenty to reflect on the first half of the season on their break as the NBA prepares for the All-Star Game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles this weekend.
