Winners of five of their last seven games, the Knicks faced another test tonight against division-rival Boston, the second-best defensive team in the NBA. And as if that weren't enough of a challenge, Derek Fisher's squad lost Carmelo Anthony to injury and Kristaps Porzingis to foul trouble for most of the second half.
But as adversity mounted, New York continued to battle. The Garden came alive, and the team responded, hanging on for an impressive 120-114 victory to improve to 20-20 on the season.
It was looking like the Knicks might coast to victory after a first quarter in which Anthony and Porzingis combined to score 37 points.