Knicks will need ‘bad win’ to end losing streak: ‘We can build on it’

It was hardly a masterpiece game for the Knicks, but when the buzzer rang, Wednesday recorded a 113-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, their first road win of the season.

“Finally. Finally.” Jalen Brunsonwho scored a team-high 28 points, said he had ended a four-game losing skid. “We are happy, but we have a lot of work to do.”

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It was less than great at first: 9 of 25 from the floor, including 3 of 11 from behind the arc in the first quarter. Along the way, it looked like New York would squander their hard work on defense – holding Dallas to 16-of-42 (38.1%) from the field in the first half to stay in the game – and a three-point lead. Landry Shamet provided when he knocked down three consecutive threes with 31 seconds remaining. Why? Due to ineptitude at the free throw line: 19 of 35 (54.3%) during the game and 3 of 10 in the fourth quarter.

After Brunson made a 1-of-2 at the line with 3.8 seconds remaining to give the Knicks the lead, Dallas’ half-court entry quickly found the fastball Brandon Williams driving on Shamet. After a little contact, his off hand hooked the Knicks defender as he rose for the layup. The ball went in, but the referee called an offensive foul with 0.7 seconds left.

“Tough call,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd he said. “He looked good, but they called a foul.”

Mike Brown said Shamet was the team’s defender for doing a “fantastic job with the ball” all night.

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“I give [referee JT Orr] credit, it was a hook,” the Knicks coach said of the call. “And a lot of people wouldn’t have called it down the stretch, but it was the right call. And Landry cut his teeth to go down there and create it.

“I mean, chaos,” Brunson said of the game’s final moments.

Shamet acknowledged it was a tough way to end the match.

“It was a good decision by the officials,” he said. “Tough way to see the game end with a call like that, but I think they made the right call. I want it, as a defender, I want it.”

But even in victory, Shamet focused on escaping culpability for mistakes made along the way.

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“We don’t want it to come down to that, though,” he continued. “We have to do a better job playing 48 minutes and find a way to create more separation early in the game.”

And it wasn’t all bad for the visitors. New York shot 21 of 43 (48.8%) from the field in the second half, including 9 of 20 from behind the arc after going 3 of 22 from deep in the first half. And Shamet, who was 1-for-4 in the first 46:58 of the game, knocked down big shots late, when his team was down two and then 30 seconds later with the score tied.

“The ball found me, I didn’t find any open looks early,” he said. “I stayed calm and I knew, I had a feeling someone was going to come in the fourth and they did. Just come in, ready to shoot, good plays from my teammates and I’ll get them.”

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Even though Shamet made the game-winning shot to put the Knicks ahead for good before what can only be described as a game-winning defensive stop, the two he missed on the three-and-out formation with 22 seconds left remained a thorn in his side.

“I have to make two free throws,” he said. “Wild end down the stretch. It’s a road win, it’s not always going to be pretty. It wasn’t 48 minutes of basketball we want to play.

“But you will win the road and we can build on it.”

Brunson echoed the sentiment.

“I found a way to win,” he said. “It was bad, but when you win bad, they are the signs of a team that learns, that improves.

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“So whatever the situation is, we have to find a way to win.”

Ultimately, the Knicks played just enough to get the job done. Proving, once again, that it is better to be ugly in victory than beautiful in defeat.