Westchester Knicks drop first game of Winter Showcase

The Westchester Knicks opened the Winter Showcase Monday afternoon against the Texas Legends.

Westchester started the game with a 15-4 run led by seven points from Brandon Williams. Williams kept the ball going for the Knicks in the first quarter with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field and pushed Westchester to a 24-19 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.

The Knicks saw a collective effort throughout the first half. Both MJ Walker and VJ King contributed nine points, while Aamir Simms was working towards a double-double. Westchester kept it rolling in the second quarter and built a nine-point lead, 52-43, at halftime.

Even though Texas started to cut their deficit in the third quarter, the Knicks were looking to snap their two-game losing streak and held onto the lead heading into the final quarter. It was a close game in the final four minutes, as both teams traded lead changes and it was a one possession game. Carlik Jones put up 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, which help give the Legends a 110-106 win.

Brandon Williams has played well this season and put together his best game of the season against the Legends. His scoring was on display where he put up his fourth game of 20+ points. The first-year guard made an impact on both ends where he was able to force turnovers and create opportunities for Westchester to score.

Brandon Williams led Westchester with 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Kethan Savaged finished with 18 points (8/20 FG) and seven rebounds. VJ King totaled 18 points (6/13 FG) and eight rebounds. Aamir Simms recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Westchester will be back in action Wednesday against Mexico City Capitanes. Tip off is at 12:30am on NBATV.

Roster moves: After Tyler Hall signed a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks and Myles Powell inked a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, Westchester signed Alan Griffin and JC Show. Brandon Goodwin will sign a 10-day hardship contract with the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.