The New York Knicks picked up their defensive tenacity late against Orlando Magic on Thursday, resulting in a victory.
Managing that against Orlando -- tied with five other teams with the fewest wins (18) this season -- is one thing, but that will likely not fly against visiting Boston on Saturday and against Golden State in the following game Monday.
Orlando had 69 points by halftime before the Knicks (24-36) put the clamps on the Magic, limiting them to only 43 points in the second half of a 120-113 victory.
Now comes Boston, which has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 41-19.