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Wednesday night’s contest in the Big Easy figured to be a clash of styles: The New Orleans Pelicans can score with the best of them, while the New York Knicks like to earn their pay on the defensive end. For three quarters, this was a Pelicans kind of game...but the Knicks held a four-point lead thanks to some scoring majesty of their own.
When the fourth quarter arrived, New York put the game away with their patented late-game formula: nobody on either team can score except for Alec Burks, who rains down holy fire from all over the court. Fourth-quarter Burks arrived just in time for the Knicks on Wednesday, scoring 14 of New York’s 23 points in the period. Burks damn near out-scored the Pelicans as a team; they could only muster 17 points.
21 on the night, 14 in the fourth for AB. pic.twitter.com/4kPVwMIssw
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 15, 2021
Burks can be a frustrating player to watch at times, and I never want to see him run a fast-break again, but he’s been an invaluable addition to the Knicks, especially late in games.
Let us also shout out Julius Randle, who shrugged off a 4-15 shooting performance in the first half to lead all scorers with 32 points.
A 30-piece for Julius pic.twitter.com/Op4o1Rf7xZ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 15, 2021
This is the Knicks’ first four-game winning streak of the season, so let’s enjoy it. Recap to come.