The Knicks were outscored by 22 points in the second half on Wednesday, falling to the Wizards 114-96. >> Box Score
Five things to know from Wednesday's game
1) The Knicks and Wizards went back and forth in the first half of action from the Garden, with neither team jumping out to a big lead. But the story for the first 24 minutes was the Knicks defense, as they held the Wizards, who had scored 110+ points in nine of their last 10 games, to just 46 first-half points. The Knicks led by four points at the break.
In the third quarter, the Knicks led by as many as six points, but the Wizards fought back to lead by as many seven, taking a 77-73 lead into the fourth. In the final quarter, the Knicks stumbled, playing sloppy basketball and turning not executing on offense. As a result, the Wizards jumped out to a 14-point lead with less than five minutes to play.
Overall, the Knicks were just 3-for-23 from the three-point arc, while turning the ball over 20 times.
2) Four Knicks scored in double figures on the night, led by Julius Randle's 21 points. Elfrid Payton added 19, RJ Barrett had 16, and Mitchell Robinson had a solid night off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
3) In the fourth quarter, Bobby Portis was ejected after receiving a technical foul. Heading into a timeout, Portis tried to block a three-point shot after the whistle, a seemingly harmless act, and then threw the ball back in Shabazz Napier's direction. Portis was immediately ejected, even though there didn't seem to be any negative intent.
Just a few minutes later, Moritz Wagner was ejected after picking up his second technical foul of the game. The technicals kept on coming, as Payton was then assessed a tech for arguing a foul call with under seven minutes to go.
4) Moe Harkless made his Knicks debut on Wednesday. Acquired from the Clippers in the Marcus Morris deal, Harkless played 24 minutes, scoring four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
5) Bradley Beal, the biggest snub from this year's All-Star Game, had a huge night to lead the way for the Wizards. Beal scored 30 points on 11-of-23 shooting, while also adding three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Highlights
Little hesi and lefty finish from RJ pic.twitter.com/hLedHjnDt2
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2020
Little hesi and lefty finish from RJ pic.twitter.com/hLedHjnDt2
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2020
Money 💰 pic.twitter.com/b12vCwzwnf
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2020
Moe assists, Moe buckets. pic.twitter.com/jwx66BuIdh
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2020
EP ➡ Mitch ➡ 🔨 pic.twitter.com/15K4H9Stsx
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2020
What's next
Following Wednesday's game, the Knicks head into the All-Star break with a record of 17-38. Following the break, the Knicks return to action next Friday, Feb. 21, when they host the Indiana Pacers at 7:30PM.