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Capping off the Tip-Off Tournament season by winning the Winter Showcase in Orlando, Florida, for the second consecutive season and their ninth straight win, the Westchester Knicks looked to continue their hot streak returning from Florida. Meanwhile, Motor City Cruise was coming off a five-game losing streak and desperately needed a win to avoid further skidding down the Central Division standings. Could the Knicks keep up their incredible play in the regular season tip-off? Or will Motor Cruise catch them on the wrong night?
TJ Warren got the Knicks off to a quick start, scoring the team's first two baskets. Both teams were halted by sloppy turnovers, with six turnovers in the first four and a half minutes of action combined. Motor City started to make a small run to take a slight lead, but the Knicks got back into it and tied the game at 10 apiece.
The Cruise shot 46% from the field while the Knicks struggled to convert, shooting just 38.5% in the first. The Knicks' defense did a great job holding the Cruise’s scoring leader, Cole Swider, to 1-of-9 shooting in the first half as he struggled to get anything to fall. Cruise guard Daniss Jenkins was the leading scorer for the Cruise in the first with 7 points, while Warren and Damion Baugh combined for 12 of the Knicks 22 in the first.
The Knicks started the second to a hot start after a cold shooting opening quarter, connecting on six of their first ten shots to help give them a 36-31 lead at the 8:49 mark. Careless turnovers and lackadaisical defense allowed the Cruise to take the lead back once again after a Lamar Stevens dunk until Boo Buie III hit a three to allow the Knicks to regain a one-point lead 44-43.
The Knicks shot 50% from the field in the second, led by Warren and Kaiden Rice, who finished with 22 of the Knicks' 56 first-half points, while Tolu Smith and Jenkins combined for 22 on 9-of-14 shooting to keep the Cruise in striking distance, with Smith connecting on all five of his field goals.
Both teams were porous with the ball, combining 21 turnovers in the first half.
The Knicks started the second half like the first quarter with a cold shooting start, going 3-of-13, while the Cruise hit their first six of 12 shots, five of which came inside 15 feet. The Knicks struggled with turnovers and couldn’t convert on the looks, while the Cruise did a better job of starting the second half by executing in the halfcourt and getting into their offense. Knicks guard Jamal Bey would be assessed a technical with under a minute in the third to give the Cruise free throws and possession that led to a quick three-point swing.
The Cruise outscored the Knicks 37-22 in the third to push their lead to as large as 12. Javante McCoy scored 13 of his 21 points in the third to propel the Cruise to a double-digit lead heading into the fourth.
Poor decision-making and execution continued to haunt the Knicks heading into the final quarter. The Cruise compounded the Knicks' miscues with their marksmanship, shooting 70% on their first 10 shots and connecting on 5-of-7 from downtown to extend their lead to as large as 22. Knicks big man Moses Brown fouled out the game with eight points on 4-of-11 from the field with 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks as the Knicks lost to the Cruise 139-117, ending their nine-game win streak.
It was the first 20+ point loss of the season for the Knicks.
On the other side, seven players finished in double figures for the cruise, three of them (Swider, Stevens, McCoy), each finishing with 20+ points and a combined 68 points to help the Cruise register their second-largest win of the season. Despite seven Knicks scoring in double figures, the Cruise held the top-scoring offense and offensive-rated team to just 40% from the field and 35% from 3-point range. The Cruise also did a great job containing Warren (who leads all G League forwards in scoring) to just 15 points on 6-of-15 from the field, well below his season average of 25.1 per game.
The Knicks are 0-3 this season when Warren scores under 20 points and shoots less than 50% from the field.
The Knicks will look to avoid the same fate of the regular season skid they had last season (12-22) after winning the Winter Showcase crown as they’ll look to redeem themselves Monday at 7 p.m. eastern against the Indiana Mad Ants.
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