New York Knicks: Emmanuel Mudiay surges late in streak-setting win

The New York Knicks surged late, behind Emmanuel Mudiay’s stellar fourth quarter, to earn the win, 114-109.

Emmanuel Mudiay was seemingly an afterthought with the New York Knicks when the 2018-19 season opened. His 22-game stretch after the February trade was marred by poor shooting, which plagued him in two-plus years with the Denver Nuggets.

Though upon return from an ankle injury, Mudiay has performed unlike anything seen in his previous three seasons. Six of his 11 games resulted in double-digit scoring outputs, including a 19-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 16.

Well, in Friday’s rematch, Mudiay broke out for his best game as a Knick: 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals, en route to victory. 15 points came in the fourth quarter.

Mudiay had the Madison Square Garden crowd on its feet with each late-game bucket — culminating a turnaround from potential roster casualty for Allonzo Trier‘s inevitable NBA contract to maybe the point guard the rest of the way; hardly certain, but games like this make it realistic.

“We ended up playing aggressive,” said Mudiay after the game. “I think that’s what it was. We got the stops that we wanted and I think that’s where we changed the game.”

Now, Mudiay and the Knicks have a challenge against head coach David Fizdale’s former squad, the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s a test against veteran Mike Conley, who’s in his 12th season.

Along with Mudiay’s big night, other Knicks shined, including one of the three rookies and a stat-stuffer showing for the frontcourt.

• This was Trier’s game for a time. His 14 first-half points led the way, and Fizdale gave him crunchtime minutes to close the game, resulting in a career-high 25 points.
• The other rookies, Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox, had inconsistent performances. Robinson fouled out and Knox went 2-for-5 from the field.
• Tim Hardaway Jr.’s name was called just twice, with two field goals on 14 attempts. Wire to wire, the Pelicans backcourt shut him down. Usually, that means an off night for the Knicks, but support from fellow backcourt mates made up the difference.
• A pair of double-doubles from the frontcourt: Noah Vonleh and Enes Kanter.
• Anthony Davis missed a chunk of the game with an injury, but still had 31 points and 12 rebounds. His last performance at Madison Square Garden nearly resulted in 50 points.

The Knicks return to the court on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET in Memphis. It’s part of a three-game road trip that also goes to the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.