In a rare occurrence, the Knicks played the role of bully, trouncing the Minnesota Timberwolves 132-105.
New York [18-26] sped out to a 13-0 lead to start and was up by as many as 36 over the hapless T-Wolves [9-37].
Last night was a far cry from the Knicks’ stinker on Sunday, when they suffered the biggest home loss in franchise history.
Three things we saw last night:
Offense bounces back from 50-point blowout; Three things we saw last night:
1 Forget about it — The Knicks erased any memories of Sunday’s 50-point loss to Dallas. They ran out to an early 13-0 advantage over Minnesota and led by as many as 28 in the first half thanks to a combined 25 points from David Lee and Wilson Chandler. No one on the Timberwolves had an early answer for Chandler’s forays to the tin and Lee was quite spry early on, befuddling Minny’s big men, most notably Al Jefferson.
2 Hope you’re watching — Lee had one more chance to impress the All-Star voters, as the reserve ballots are due today. The Knicks’ forward didn’t waste this opportunity, as he went for 28 points and 10 rebounds. It was his sixth-straight double-dip. He was just as effective defensively, shutting down Jefferson in the first half (two points and seven rebounds). Jefferson didn’t fare much better in the second half, either, as he finished with four points and 10 rebounds.
3 Show stopper — Jared Jeffries has emerged as the defensive stopper, as he harassed Minnesota’s Jonny Flynn into 3-of-11 shooting and six turnovers. “Jared has turned into that guy,” said Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni. “Anything we ever get from him offensively is a bonus.” Jeffries rewarded D’Antoni’s faith by also registering eight points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. The Knicks held the T-wolves to 47 percent shooting — an 11-point improvement from Sunday. tony williams
