New York Knicks: Tank ‘race’ results in historic outcome

The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers battled in a matchup of the NBA’s worst records, resulting in a historic result.

Unusually, there was hype around Monday’s game between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Why? The one and only “race” for the top lottery odds in the 2019 NBA Draft. These teams entered the night as the two of the League’s three worst records.

Well, with the lower win-loss mark of the two, the Knicks played down to the bottom-dweller expectations everyone gave them.

As usual, a decent Knicks start resulted in a slip as the first half closed and into the remaining 24 minutes. With New York’s woes at both ends of the floor and Warriors-esque shooting and from the Cavs, the score distanced itself for a while.

However, a remarkable turnaround in the fourth quarter — behind Kadeem Allen‘s second consecutive spectacular game, Luke Kornet‘s clutch three-point shooting and a college zone defense — almost made this a night to remember. Almost.

Everything seemed to trend in New York’s favor, but the Cavs never disappeared, keeping their lead to win, 107-104. That was in part to Larry Nance Jr.’s 15 points and 16 rebounds and Collin Sexton‘s 20 points.

Fans, and the front office, will look at this as the “tank” game, as both teams “jockey” for position. Of course, this put the Knicks in favor, securing their spot as the NBA’s worst record for the evening.

However, this was also a franchise record 17th straight loss and they’ve dropped 30 of the past 32 games. No matter which way fans want to see this team result on the box score, this is historic levels of losing. There are still players trying to win on the court, but they can’t buy a win, achieving just one of them since the calendar turned to 2019 nearly six weeks ago.

There’s not much else to do but wait for that win. Maybe it happens soon, with the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic and a rematch with the Cavs among the remaining games this month. Losing this frequently can’t last forever, but with victories so sporadic since that overtime thriller against Milwaukee, nothing has worked out properly.

• Allen had another standout night. His 25 points were the game-high. Along with 32 minutes, this two-way player has earned minutes moving forward, although Frank Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay‘s eventual returns from injury may impact this.

• It seems Noah Vonleh was only starting to improve trade value, because he’s disappeared since the trade deadline. From barely playing one game to losing his starting spot to Mario Hezonja, the fifth-year man who once seemed reinvigorated finds himself lost in the shuffle.
• Mitchell Robinson‘s standout performances have trended towards consistent. Once again, he had double-digit points, multiple eye-popping alley-oops, eight rebounds and two blocks. Whether it’s bulking up to become more aggressive or learning from DeAndre Jordan, this rookie center looks sharper than ever.

• Kornet recovered from Fizdale-itis to hit two big three-pointers late.
• John Jenkins welcomed himself to the Knicks with seven meaningful points in nine minutes.

The New York Knicks will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 13, to face the Sixers at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’s the penultimate game before the All-Star break.