With the Knicks sitting at 46-33 on the season following their fourth consecutive win, New York has officially clinched its second playoff berth in three seasons, a tremendous accomplishment for a team that won just 37 games last year.
This berth comes at the hands of the Knicks’ big-time victory against the Wizards in which they took Washington down, 118-109. At one point in this game, the Knicks were down 10, but just like their last win against the Wizards, they marched back in the second half to pull out a W.
Just almost every player on the Knicks had a good game, which was needed to get this win. However, one player who stood out was Obi Toppin, whose struggles this season have been well-documented.
Obi Toppin shines in Knicks victory over Wizards with no Julius Randle
In just his second start of the season, Obi Toppin dominated the Wizards, scoring 21 points, four assists, two steals, and a block while shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 from downtown, not missing a single shot that wasn’t a three-pointer.
The confidence Toppin put on display was incredible and something we haven’t seen much of all season long. While most of this likely has to do with the spot-up shooter role he’s been playing off the bench, it was still nice to see Toppin play well and have fun while doing it.
Obi Toppin does his taxes, mows the lawn and then calmly hits a 3! pic.twitter.com/KHe6qHIv1x
— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) April 3, 2023
Toppin has been struggling from beyond the arc all season long, so for him to have the confidence to shoot it from that deep is amazing and could spell success for the Knicks’ upcoming playoff series.
It was good to see Toppin have the ball in his hands a bit more than usual. His talent as a finisher is obvious and it has always been confusing as to why it is never utilized off the bench. However, hopefully, this game will show Tom Thibodeau that Toppin needs more run come playoff time.
The Knicks are down to their final three games of the season, facing off against the Pacers, Pelicans, and Pacers again. With both of these teams having pretty unsuccessful seasons, there is a very real chance that New York will enter the playoffs on a seven-game win streak.
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