Coming off of a huge win over the Erie BayHawks, the Westchester Knicks finished the NBA D-League Showcase on Sunday with a game against the Canton Charge. While the Charge were looking to avenge their five-point loss to the Maine Red Claws on Jan. 19, the Knicks were looking to finish the D-League Showcase with a 2-0 record.
Early in the game, Keith Wright was getting involved on both ends of the floor. Wright had totaled four points, two assists, two blocks, and one rebound at the mid-way part of the first quarter.
His two early fouls halted his playing time, however, and Jaylen Bond came in to replace him.
While the Knicks totaled 18 points in the first quarter, they looked their best in the second quarter. Westchester cut the deficit to two points at halftime. Jordon Crawford played a huge role in the team’s 38-point second quarter.
Crawford scored 12 of his 23 points in that quarter.
With 12 points in the second quarter, @IAM_JCraw hustled his way to a 23-point performance in today's early morning battle. #DLeagueShowcase pic.twitter.com/lkgDRev8CM
— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) January 22, 2017
Along with his 23 points, the Bowling Green product totaled four assists, two rebounds, and one steal on 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
In the second quarter, the Knicks went on a 10-3 run, which gave them momentum heading into the second half. Westchester’s offense started to come alive, as well.
After going 0-of-4 from deep in the first quarter, the Dub Knicks went 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the second quarter. After a 38-point performance, Westchester trailed by two points at halftime.
The Dub Knicks came out strong in the third quarter. Kevin Capers looked good on defense on several possessions. Along with Capers, Courtney Fells was looking solid in many different areas.
On one possession, Fells showed patience in the post and hit a shot in the process, which included him drawing a foul.
Fells finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals on 8-of-13 shooting from the field.
The Charge had a strong outing in the fourth quarter, which gave them their first victory of the D-League Showcase. Canton went on a 13-2 run during the final frame, which turned out to be a huge part of the Charge’s victory.
Quinn Cook was the focal point for the Charge. Not only did Cook have a solid shooting performance, but he was able to get his teammates involved as well. He showed great vision and even dished out a full-court pass to Chris Evans, who finished with a dunk.
The Duke product finished with a game-high 40 points, along with eight assists and four rebounds.
Cook shot 13-of-20 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. With the performances he’s had during the D-League Showcase, Quinn Cook is showing that he deserves a shot at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 15th roster spot.
Though they lost, the performance by the bench was a positive for Westchester at the D-League Showcase. In their previous game against the Erie BayHawks, the Knicks’ bench outperformed Erie by totaling 53 points off the bench.
The Dub Knicks saw their efficiency increase off the bench, as 62 of their 108 points came from reserves. Crawford and Jaylen Bond powered the Knicks’ bench by scoring 20-plus points each. While Keith Wright dealt with foul trouble, Bond came in and had a productive game.
He fell a rebound short of his fourth double-double of the season. The Temple product finished with a career-high 21 points, along with nine rebounds, one block, and one steal on a career-high 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Just like their recent game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Knicks were outplayed at the foul line by a wide margin. The Charge went 24-of-37 from the charity stripe compared to the Knicks going 12-of-15 from the foul line.
The Knicks had an opportunity to seal their first 2-0 outing during the NBA D-League Showcase, but fell to the Canton Charge. After defeating the Charge earlier in the season, Canton got their revenge by picking up their first win in the season series.
With a loss to the Charge, Westchester finished the D-League Showcase with a 1-1 record.
Must Read: Westchester Knicks: Recap From Day 1 At The NBA D-League Showcase
The Knicks fell to 12-13 and will have an opportunity to get back to .500 on Jan. 27 against the Raptors 905. The Dub Knicks have a tough challenge ahead of them, but already have a victory over the Raptors 905 this season.