After a convincing win over Brazilian club team Bauru in the preseason opener, the new-look Knicks faced their first real test tonight -- in Washington, against a second-round playoff team from a year ago playing at full strength.
They did their best to answer any doubts related to the quality of the competition, showing improvement in every facet from Wednesday en route to an impressive 115-104 victory. They dominated the Wizards on the boards (53-39) and shot 50 percent from the floor, fueled by contributions from all 10 players who played significant minutes.
Kristaps Porzingis (9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks) made plays all over the floor in his second career NBA game, and his teammates reaped the benefits of the attention he drew -- New York's starting guards Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic combined to shoot 5-for-7 from downtown.