The Sports Xchange
Nov 15, 2017
NEW YORK -- Tim Hardaway Jr. had 26 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 22 as the New York Knicks rallied to defeat the Utah Jazz 106-101 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Two days after squandering a 23-point lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks came back from a 12-point deficit against a Jazz squad missing its top post player in injured Rudy Gobert.
Hardaway, who had 10 fourth-quarter points for the Knicks, hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to stake New York a four-point lead, and Utah committed a turnover on the ensuing possession.
New York tied the score at 91 midway through the fourth quarter, the first tie since the one-minute, 21-second mark of the first quarter, and took a 94-93 lead on Hardaway layup minutes later.
Rodney Hood had 27 points to lead Utah, which lost for the fifth time in the last six games.
Jettisoned to the bench late last week in favor of rookie Donovan Mitchell, Hood has been consistent in his new sixth-man role, with at least 16 points and three 3-pointers in each of his last three games.
Wednesday marked a high-point in the season for the fourth-year pro, whose playing time and scoring both dipped last season.
Mitchell had a standout first half, leading all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and the Jazz damaged the Knicks from downtown.
Utah had 10 first-half 3-pointers, with four players contributing multiple threes, including three by Mitchell and Jonas Jerebko.
Half of Utah's points in the first half -- and half of its field goals -- came from long range.
The game was tight early in the first quarter until Utah went on a 6-0 run with five minutes left to take a five-point lead. After the Knicks cut the lead to one midway through the second quarter, the Jazz extended their lead to as much as 12 before going into halftime up 10.
Courtney Lee added 19 points for New York, which won for the eighth time in the last 11 games.
NOTES: Despite being eligible for his second straight game after missing 20 because of a performance-enhancing drug suspension, Knicks C Joakim Noah was held inactive as he faces a logjam at center. New York coach Jeff Hornacek has been pleased with the play of starter Enes Kanter and backup Kyle O'Quinn, and third-string option Willy Hernangomez has played scarcely this season. ... Utah C Rudy Gobert missed his third consecutive game with a bone bruise and is expected to be out until mid-December. ... The Knicks will travel to Toronto on Friday night for just their second road game of the month. ... Utah travels down the road to Brooklyn on Friday, the second game of a four-game road trip.