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RJ Barrett’s defensive gem fuels Knicks’ surge to the top of the East

Work hard until your idols become your rivals.

New York Knicks defensive stalwart RJ Barrett was only 12 years old when DeMar DeRozan hit his first game-winning shot in the NBA in 2013.

Nine years later, Barrett leaned on his memory bank to thwart DeRozan’s potential game-winner as the Knicks survived Chicago Bulls’ late push and gave them their first loss of the season, 104-103, Thursday night on the road.

With 4.8 seconds remaining and the Knicks hanging on to a single thread of what was once a comfortable 13-point lead, DeRozan took the inbound pass then faked a hand-off to Zach Lavine.