The New York Knicks snapped out of back-to-back losses in a big way on Sunday, holding off Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers, 106-100. 

Let me take you back to earlier this year. 

Riding high with a 9-11 record, fresh off of a 21-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a game where Immanuel Quickley’s ascent was still fresh on the eyes, the New York Knicks welcomed the challenge that was hosting the LA Clippers at Madison Square Garden. 

They lost that game, on the second night of a back-to-back, but fans took pride and embraced optimism in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George having to play through the fourth quarter. 

We had no idea what we were in for. 

The Knicks have gone 29-18 since, and legitimized themselves as a playoff team for the first time in eight seasons. That’s never been any truer than in Sunday’s win over LA. 

New York staved off a late fourth-quarter rally from Kawhi and Co. to hand the Clippers just their 23rd loss of the season, on the road, in the fifth game of a six-game road trip. It was a near-must-win matchup for the Knicks, who’d dropped the previous two games against the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, and with the Lakers on tap for Tuesday night. 

Oh, how far we’ve come. 

But at first, it almost seemed like it wasn’t meant to be. New York fell into a 10-0 hole early, thanks to a pair of buckets from both Kawhi and Reggie Jackson. After three minutes scoreless, it was Reggie Bullock who got the Knicks on the board. The veteran wing went on a personal 7-0 run; a technical free throw, and two 3-pointers to bring New York within three points with half the quarter remaining. 

Then with five minutes remaining, Derrick Rose subbed in for Elfrid Payton, and a collective sigh could be heard around the world — one of relief by Knicks fans, and one of frustration by the Clippers’ coaching staff. 

The former MVP finished the first quarter with eight points and three assists, a better stat line than Payton’s arguably recorded in months. What was once a deficit of multiple baskets was just one after the first quarter. 

Rose’s dominant first quarter (and last few games honestly) continued on in the second. His scoring touch has yet to find an obstruction to block its path. 

Truly, he may have a top-10 touch in the entire NBA. If the trade that brought him (back) to New York happened even a month earlier, we’d be having Sixth Man of the Year talk. 

Again, I can’t talk enough about how polar opposites the two Rose tenures are. Here’s an image for your consideration:

The Knicks, thanks to last minute three from RJ Barrett, walked into halftime with a 56-54 lead. Rose went into the break with 19 points and seven assists, and Bullock scored 13. The team shot 52% from the field, but made just six of 15 3-point attempts. 

It was a solid first half, particularly after the early first quarter hole. And — spoiler alert — they kept it up in the second half.

A defensive-minded third quarter saw the two teams finish with just 43 points collectively, but New York still out on top, thanks to a 9-point performance from Bullock. 

If you’re wondering why Julius Randle’s yet to be mentioned, it’s because his highlights were quiet ones up until this point, as opposed to his typical dominance on offense. 

That would change in the fourth quarter. 

The Knicks walked into the final period with a 79-74 lead, and many fans bracing for the all-too-familiar collapse that has coincided with their fourth quarters as of late. 

But a pair of 3-pointers from Rose gave the team a 91-83 lead with seven minutes remaining. They were his last buckets of the game, but inarguably his most important. 

Moments later, in a fourth quarter where George and Leonard had their fair share of misses, Randle made three huge shots to seal the win. 

Bad games for the 26-year-old look a lot different nowadays, wouldn’t ya say?

Notes

• The New York Knicks are two wins shy of their first 40-win season since 2012-2013, the last time they made the playoffs. Can they split their remaining four games, 2-2? Matchups with Los Angeles, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Boston are all on tap.

• Reggie Bullock scored a season-high 24 points, and easily had his best game of the season: four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. It’s the most points he's scored since a 24-point outing as a member of the Detroit Pistons in 2018. New York’s now 3-2 this year when Bullock scores 20 or more points.

• No player may have ever had a stat sheet less indicative of his actual contributions than RJ Barrett. On nights where the box score might paint him as the Knicks’ best player, he’s had actual bad games this season. And on Sunday against LA, a game where he shot 7-18 from the field, he had one of his better games in recent memory. Barrett finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 44 minutes played.

• Looking at my recap of their last game against the Clippers, I noticed a DNP-Coach’s Decision for Kevin Knox. Some things never change.

• Paul George shot 2-9 from 3-point land in this one. Back in January, he shot 1-8. Are we still waiting on that shooting regression from the Knicks’ defense?

• New York is now 22-10 when Derrick Rose plays this season. He’s averaging 21 points and 4.6 assists over his last five games. And he’s a +48 in that span. Elfrid Payton is a -43. Not much else to say here.

• Yet as nice as that is, I’ll be a lot more comfortable when both Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley make it back onto the floor. Mitchell Robinson too, while we’re at it.

• Not necessarily pertinent to the Knicks, but Rajon Rondo was a great pickup for LA. He had four points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in this one.

• Obi Toppin had a nice 10 minutes yet again in this one. I’m getting more and more bullish on his potential to help New York in a playoff series. The Kool-Aid is sweet, folks.

The last time these two teams met, my evaluation was a simple one: “got everything but the W.”

But this time around, I’ll let the Knicks’ hero of the night speak on my behalf:

“We know we’re not finished.” 

The irony here being that back in January, fans couldn’t have imagined that the team would be where it is today: boasting an All-Star/All-NBA version of Julius Randle, relying heavily on the ankles of Derrick Rose, and preparing for its first postseason since 2013. 

And you know what? 

They’re not finished yet.