New York Knicks: A winning streak and the Henry Ellenson game exist

The New York Knicks stretched their winning streak to two, defeating the Orlando Magic, 108-103.

Remember that 18-game losing streak the New York Knicks were on? They had not won a game at Madison Square Garden since Dec. 1 and had last beaten the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers in early January.

Fast-forward to Feb. 26. The Knicks own a two-game winning streak overall and at home and have walked out victoriously in three of their last four matchups.

What’s in the Kool-Aid? Who knows at this point, but New York has one road win, an upset victory over the San Antonio Spurs and a win against a developing Orlando Magic squad.

A quick glance at the box score for Tuesday’s game shows a lopsided line. Four of the five starters shot 33.3 percent or worse and none scored double-digits. Only Kevin Knox had more than 25 minutes.

With that aside, let’s turn to the main attraction: the bench.

Head coach David Fizdale let the pine ride against the Magic, handing five players at least 20 minutes and three of them 30 minutes. The most surprising part, though: Henry Ellenson‘s 36 minutes was the game-high — the same player that made just two appearances with the Detroit Pistons this season.

At 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, Ellenson basically had his career night, and in just his second game with the Knicks, on a 10-day contract that expires in early March. He even received the post-game interview spotlight on MSG Networks, embracing the opportunity this organization provided:

Suddenly, Ellenson is a rotation piece. He took minutes from Noah Vonleh and Lance Thomas, and with the way Fizdale handled players that stepped up throughout the season, the Marquette product should stick and maybe receive another 10-day contract.

At this point, Mitchell Robinson‘s double-doubles have become normal. Couple that with compiling blocks, and he’s transforming into the stable force this team needs in the middle for the next five-to-10 years.

Robinson had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks — the number he felt was possible to average. The 20 year old, at least for one night, lived up to his own expectations. Frankly, he’s exceeded anything anyone predicted entering this season, and it’s extraordinary to watch.

• Allonzo Trier‘s 18 points gave him a relevant performance in a win for the first time in three months. There were recently 19 and 20 point outings, but in double-digit point losses.
• Emmanuel Mudiay added another 18 off the bench and played 31 minutes. Point guard is still Dennis Smith Jr.’s, but the fourth-year man can’t be forgotten.
• With each game, it’s difficult to figure where Frank Ntilikina fits. Maybe he bumps Thomas from the rotation, but few players have faired poorly recently. John Jenkins, who played 22 minutes, is hitting shots.
• The overall shooting numbers don’t look great: 42.7 percent from the field and 29.2 percent on three-pointers. No one off the bench shot below 44.4, percent, however.

The New York Knicks will return on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET. They face the 14th-placed Cleveland Cavaliers.