Hardaway leads win in return as starter
SALT LAKE CITY — Tim Hardaway Jr. returned to the starting lineup and returned to being a difference-maker.
After three games of coming off the bench to preserve his minutes, all resulting in losses, Hardaway started and erupted. He finished with 31 points in 27 minutes as the Knicks knocked out the Jazz 117-115 at Vivint Smarthome Arena on Friday.
The Knicks nearly lost a 10-point lead with 2:13 left as Hardaway missed two free throws with 32.5 seconds left as the Knicks lead got stuck at three up.
But the Jazz failed on three opportunities on one possession — the last a 3point miss by Joe Ingles. Hardaway then made two free throws to seal it with 9.3 seconds left.
Still being kept on a minutes restriction, Hardaway made 11-of-17 shots and was a sensational 6-of-7 from the 3-point stripe. He had five rebounds and three assists.
After missing out being named an AllStar starter, Kristaps Porzingis looked determined and posted 18 points.
There also were triumphant returns for Jeff Hornacek, who still is treated like a god here and has his jersey retired, Enes Kanter, who is treated like a villain for requesting a trade, and Trey Burke, the former Jazz lottery pick.
Burke ran the show in the final nine minutes over Jarrett Jack and rookie Frank Ntilikina, who played just five scoreless minutes. Burke finished with seven points, making 3-of-4 shots and collected the key rebound on Ingles’ late miss.
After bouncing back from the Memphis horror show, the Knicks moved to 1-1 on their six-game Western Conference trip and to 6-16 on the road.
Jazz rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell, whom the Knicks bypassed at No. 8 for the Frenchman, also had a quiet night, scoring 12 points but shooting just 6-of-20.
Courtney Lee (18 points) got hot early in the third with 11 points in the first five minutes. Then Hardaway, back from his stress reaction, scored the Knicks’ last eight points of the third — hitting on a drive and connecting on two straight 3pointers to give the Knicks an 85-78 lead after three.
Hardaway, who is on a minutes restriction in the 25-minute range, already was up to 22 after three quarters. He began the fourth quarter but had to be yanked with 10:55 left. He returned with 4:25 remained and led them to victory.
With 3:45 left, Hardaway sank a straightaway 3 and got fouled. He completed the four-point play to give the Knicks a 107100 lead. On the next possession, Hardaway drove in for a dunk and a nine-point lead.
Interestingly, newcomer Burke came in with 9:59 left over the struggling Ntilikina. He instantly made a good defensive play, knocking the ball out of bounds off Ricky Rubio. Then Burke sank a 3-pointer to boost the Knicks’ lead to 98-93 with 6:16 left.
Porzingis said the Knicks needed to come out “angry and hungry,” and they took an early seven-point lead. Porzingis scored on the first possession on a top-ofthe-key jumper, blocked Jazz center Rudy Gobert inside then hit another mid-range jumper.
Utah’s Rudy Gobert scored 23 points with 14 rebounds and carried the Jazz to a 55-49 lead at intermission.
The Knicks fell behind by 12 points before a 7-0 run ended the half.
Kanter was booed mightily during pregame introductions, and every time he touched the ball for demanding a trade when he was with the Jazz. Kanter was 2of-9 from the field by half.