Knicks 108, Rockets 88: Scenes from the game Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley refused to lose

Would you rather watch a beautiful basketball game or watch your team win? Fans of the New York Knicks, especially those of us who remember the 1990s, have a deeper understanding of the answer to this riddle.

We saw this in action on New Year’s Eve in Houston. The first quarter was thrilling, up-and-down action, and featured some tremendous shooting. Of course, the Knicks got roasted, ending the quarter down 35-27. For the next three quarters, New York dragged a callow Rockets club down into the gutter. They finally took the lead late in the second quarter, and really put the Rockets to bed in the second half en route to a 108-88 win.

The two best Knicks on the evening were once again Julius Randle (35 points) and Immanuel Quickley (27 points). Neither shot it particularly well — Randle was 9-20 and Quickley was 9-25 — but when the game was in the muck, these two were both in their element.

Let’s head into 2023 with this energy!