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Knicks 117, Wizards 110: Scenes from a tough and terrific road victory

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Wow, man. I did not see that coming. I didn't see it coming even like a few minutes ago. The Knicks went into Washington D.C., survived some early rough stretches, and just played really hard and hit really big shots and got big stops against a plenty lively bunch of Wizards. Joe's got a recap on the way and I'll have so much more to say tomorrow, but first a few important moments.

Let's start at the end, with Carmelo Anthony putting the bow on a wonderful night of scoring (37 points on 18 shots) by just staring Jared Dudley dead in the face and flicking his nutsack:

You'll get some of those and you hope they go in, but here's an even greater use of Melo on a sideline inbound play seconds later. Melo sets the screen, Langston Galloway finds himself open, and -- just as he quietly did several times last season -- BUCKETS to go up 5 in the final minute:

And here's Robin Lopez, who had a typically quiet but very important defensive performance, sealing the victory with some help on Bradley Beal:

Back to the beginning, Jose Calderon guarding John Wall was, as expected, a problem:

It's not an easy thing to do, but I'm certain Galloway is better at it and was pleased to see him get all the fourth quarter burn and finish a second-straight game with starter's minutes. Lang had a fantastic game, man. There's a lot more. Langston Galloway is good.

Here's some of that Melo passing. He was really sharp out of double teams and set Kristaps Porzingis up for his best bucket on a quiet night:

Great night. I really would've been satisfied with the moral victory, but the Knicks showed us a hint of something we haven't seen in a while. They kept seeking the right play, kept executing, kept trying, kept making me scream and pound my fists and make my dog really worried. Enjoy this feeling for a bit.