GRIN AND BARRETT
RJ, Knicks finally show some fight, look to build on late-night Sunday victory over Clips
At least for one night, the Knicks were back to being winners.
Riding RJ Barrett’s 24 points and a strong showing from the young bench, the Knicks snapped their seven-game losing streak by pounding the Clippers on Sunday night in L.A., 116-93.
It wasn’t especially close. The Knicks (26-39) never trailed, holding a double-digit lead for the final 34 minutes to win for the first time in nearly a month.
The Clippers (34-32), who weren’t playing injured duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, cut the deficit to 12 at the start of the fourth quarter, feeding concerns the ‘Bockers would blow another big lead.
But this time, the reserves — led by Cam Reddish and Immanuel Quickley – promptly killed the Clippers comeback and momentum. With Reddish and Quickley taking turns scoring, the Knicks began the fourth quarter on a 20-4 run.
The game-breaking stretch also occurred with Miles McBride at point guard, perhaps giving coach Tom Thibodeau confidence to play the rookie more moving forward.
Reddish finished with 17 points, which was his highest since joining the Knicks in February. Quickley dropped 19 points with 10 rebounds.
Julius Randle struggled in L.A. with just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
“Tonight the fight was there from start to finish,” Thibodeau said. “Hopefully we can build on it.”
Reserve Amir Coffey scored 16 points to lead the Clippers, whose five-game winning streak ended at the hands of one of the East’s worst teams.
“It feels great to get that win. We needed that bad,” Mitchell Robinson said. “They were playing so well, too.”
The Knicks scored the first 10 points of the fourth, led by Reddish with eight, to extend their lead to 90-68. Barrett was the only starter left in against the Clippers’ reserves until he sat down with five minutes remaining.
The Knicks used another strong start in the third to take a 74-48 lead. They opened with a 15-8 run, getting six points from Robinson and four from Barrett.
“The ball moved around and the energy was high,” Robinson said.
Reggie Jackson missed a one-handed dunk during a 20-6 spurt that sent the Clippers into the fourth trailing 80-68. Five players scored, with Coffey hitting a 3-pointer and making four free throws.
“They came out with more energy than we did and they just look like they wanted it more,” Coffey said.
The Knicks built a 19-point lead by outscoring the Clippers 34-18 in the second quarter. New York opened with 16 straight points, making 8 of 8 free throws and getting eight points from Barrett. He finished with 16 points in the quarter.
“The tone of the game was set the first five minutes with the starters,” Thibodeau said. “The defense was really good and the willingness to make the extra pass got rhythm offensively.”
The Clippers didn’t score until halfway through the second on Luke Kennard’s 3-pointer — one of three he made in the period. They cut the lead to 11 points before New York closed on an 11-3 run to lead 59-40 going into halftime.
“They played well and we played bad,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “With that combination you’ll get a 30-point blowout. They were starving for a win.”
TIP-INS
Knicks: Improved to 13-19 on the road . ... Julius Randle was fined $50,000 by the league for shoving Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, making contact with a referee who was trying to break up the altercation on Friday and refusing to participate in its ensuing investigation . ... Taj Gibson didn’t play because of illness.
Clippers: They were outrebounded 5743 . ... Paul George, out since December with a torn ligament in his right elbow, is shooting with his right hand, which coach Tyronn Lue says is “a lot better I guess.” ... Their five-game winning streak featured three wins over the Lakers and two over Houston.