NBA: Knicks break out of slump in big way, wallop Clippers
RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks drives the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 2, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rich Graessle/Getty Images/AFP
The New York Knicks pulled out of a seven-game tailspin while snapping the host Los Angeles Clippers’ five-game winning streak in a 116-93 rout on Sunday.
New York stifled Los Angeles defensively, holding the Clippers to just 33-of-88 (37.5 percent) shooting from the floor and 11-of-34 from 3-point range. Amir Coffey’s 16 points off the bench led Los Angeles.
Six Knicks players scored in double figures, led by RJ Barrett’s 24 points. He has scored at least 20 points in five straight games. He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished four assists.
Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish came off the bench to score 21 and 17 points, and Quickley hauled in 10 rebounds to go with a game-high six assists. Mitchell Robinson also recorded a double-double of 12 points with 11 rebounds — eight of which were offensive — and Alec Burks added 15 points.
Everybody who stepped in contributed and scored. Team W!
🎥: @SociosUSA | #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/EnoPk6OYm6
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 7, 2022
Julius Randle struggled shooting from the floor in his return to the lineup after a second-half ejection Friday in Phoenix. Still, he managed 10 points despite his 4-of-16 performance and grabbed eight rebounds.
New York never trailed and built a lead of as many as 32 points. Los Angeles appeared to have life at the end of the third quarter when the Clippers cut the gap to 12, but the Knicks did not allow a point in the fourth quarter until 3:29 in.
New York scored the period’s first 10 points, and blew the game open with a 25-8 overall run.
The Clippers’ Isaiah Hartenstein and Luke Kennard came off the bench to score 14 and 10 points.
Los Angeles’ starting five combined for just 36 points, led by 11 from Terance Mann. Reggie Jackson added 10 points.
Stuck at 78 points until 3:20 to go in regulation, the Clippers appeared headed for their lowest-scoring performance of the season since posting just 81 on Nov. 19 at New Orleans. They finished with something of a flourish, scoring 15 points.
