The New York Knicks exorcised road demons with a 100-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Who stepped up for the orange and blue?
The New York Knicks entered Sunday, Jan. 7 in near desperate need of a victory. New York had lost seven of its previous eight games, including a heartbreaking overtime encounter with the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on Friday, Jan. 5.
The Knicks nearly wrote an identical ending to an all too familiar story at the American Airlines Center, but held on for one of its biggest victories of the 2017-18 season thus far.
New York faced an uphill battle against history during Sunday’s encounter with the Dallas Mavericks. It hadn’t defeated the Mavericks in Dallas since Jan. 5, 2014, and had lost six of its past seven games at the American Airlines Center.
Despite blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Knicks managed to exorcise their demons by ending a three-year drought in Dallas.
It was a gutsy performance on all accounts, as New York stepped up on defense and weathered the storm when Dallas went on a late run. In the process, it improved to 19-21 overall and 4-14 on the road with 42 games remaining on the schedule.
The question is: Who stepped up for Jeff Hornacek and the New York Knicks during the crucial 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks?