Washington Wizards Outlast New York Knicks On National Television

Washington Wizards haven’t had many opportunities to play on national television, but they outlasted the New York Knicks on TNT on Thursday.

Before the season began, Derrick Rose considered the New York Knicks a “superteam.”

Currently, the Knicks are 19-25, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference without any direction.

Jeff Hornacek has mixed up the team’s rotation, relegating Courtney Lee to the bench with hopes of finding a spark, but the changes haven’t resulted into wins.

Kristaps Porzingis has dealt with injuries, making it that much more difficult for the Knicks to find any rhythm before the All-Star break.

The Washington Wizards are on a different route.

Scott Brooks‘ club has won 13 games on the road and have climbed to the fifth spot in the East, one game behind the fourth seeded Atlanta Hawks.

John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter have all found a groove when the team needed it most.

Their success at home has catapulted them up the East, but for the team to continue climbing, they’ll eventually have to play at the same level on the road.

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On Thursday night against the New York Knicks – a game that was televised nationally on TNT – Washington had an opportunity to gain some needed momentum in Madison Square Garden.

Carmelo Anthony, who’s taken on the shoot first, second and third role for the Knicks this season due to Porzingis’ absence, lit the Washington Wizards up in the second quarter, scoring 25 points.

But it was only a matter of time before Anthony cooled off and the Wizards took off.

In the third quarter, behind Wall’s passing, the Wizards went on a run and gained a quick double-digit lead.

Wall, who finished the game with 29 points and 13 assists, spoon fed Porter on the perimeter. Porter drilled shots from the perimeter, totaling 23 points, including 6 of 10 shooting from three.

As the clock ticked, the Wizards’ offense became a bit stagnant and the Knicks went on a run of their own, gaining a one-point lead with just seconds remaining.

Wall, as he’s been since his rookie season, was too much for the Knicks to handle down the stretch, scoring a transition basket to seal the win for the Washington Wizards. The team was able to get one final stop, knocking the ball out of Brandon Jennings‘ hands.

It wasn’t the easiest nor smoothest of wins, but it’s a road win for the Wizards, who only had four prior to Thursday.

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Wall and Porter, in particular, were able to showcase their elite skill-sets on national TV. Washington will continue their campaign on Saturday in Detroit.