Knicks 125, Rockets 123: Scenes from RJ, Frank and Mitch welcoming Leon Rose

I don’t care how late in the season it is or how lost the season is, these kind of wins are so goddamn fun.

The Knicks got up big on the Rockets early and led by as much as 21, but of course the Rockets came back. And when it came down to it late... RJ Barrett got the ball?? What is this madness?

The Don, the Godfather, the Kingpin himself Leon Rose looked very pleased with RJ Barrett getting his first real shot to close a game for the Knicks this year, and then he was just as pleased when Frank Ntilikina locked down Russell Westbrook seconds later:

RJ finished with 27 points on 10-18 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, including 14 in the first quarter just a week after he did the same thing in Houston.

Frank also put together a solid stat line and closed the game for the Knicks, finishing with 11 points, four assists and two steals on 5-10 shooting.

Mitchell Robinson would not be denied either, gathering 12 points and 13 rebounds while making the Rockets’ small-ball lineup look pretty useless.

Julius Randle managed to pull off three of his spinning turnovers, but had 16 points 16 rebounds and (surprisingly) one of the most clutch defensive plays of the game:

In other news, Wayne Ellington had 15 points in 19 minutes, and it was a great night for Bobby Portis-related reaction memes:

So it was a hell of a night! Wins are fun. Let’s do this a few more times before the end of the season. MMiranda will have your recap in a bit. Bask in this victory.