Not long after halftime of last night’s New York Knicks game in Houston, a 17-point lead had evaporated. The game seemed a microcosm of the season: a hot Knicks’ start followed by a long, steady drop-off. By the time New York’s 116-103 win was secure, hope sprung that the victory could be a microcosm for better days ahead, for the season, like the game, to see New York hit a rough patch, look inward, fight back and overcome. No better time than the present to get on a winning streak, something the Knicks haven’t done since before Halloween.
Despite a 39-point first quarter and a 17-point first half lead, Houston had pulled even in the third on a Garrison Mathews 3, and a disturbing trend re-emerged.