Knicks discover new degree of toughness for tantalizing assertion win

From time to time throughout the countless basketball winter, you get one it’s essential to circle, the higher to remind your self in a while. So circle this one. Use your brightest pink pen. Circle it once more. Put it away in a drawer someplace.

And possibly come again to it in a few months, when it’s 30 levels hotter exterior, when it’ll really feel 80 levels hotter inside Madison Sq. Backyard, when possibly there’s a dire second that in some way turns delirious, a vexing setback that morphs into an invigorating success.

“We have been in a funk,” mentioned Karl-Anthony Cities, “after which we discovered a method to combat, combat, combat. And located a method to win.”

The Knicks have been 0-8 at house when shedding on the half, after which discovered themselves down 11 after three to the electrical, elastic Rockets. The Backyard was disconsolate. The Knicks had gotten comparatively excellent news about OG Anunoby’s foot a number of hours earlier than, however the truth is he was nonetheless absent, and sure will probably be for a bit. The Rockets have been quick, too. However after a foggy no-show by the Knicks Saturday in opposition to the Lakers on nationwide TV, this regarded like a bookend buzzkill of an evening on the massive gymnasium on prime of Penn Station.