Knicks overcome Wizards 115-113 with buzzer beater to finish preseason undefeated

In a game that one couldn’t tell it was regular season or playoffs, the New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 115-113 in front of a wild crowd of plus 12,000 fans at the Garden. And it’s really just preseason where games don’t count. But this is not the case at the Mecca.

Trailing from the first minute and until literally the last one, usually in double digits, the Knicks pushed the pedals in the final quarter and forced a comeback that ended with a buzzer beater by Julius Randle that sealed a perfect preseason.

Derrick Rose played one of his best games, leading the Knicks off the bench with a game high 28 points. Rose, replaced Kemba Walker in the fourth quarter and scored 14 of his total points in that period. It was the same period for Randle to overcome his poor shooting. The All Star struggled in the first half shooting 3-7 from the field and just 1-7 in the third. But he erupted in the fourth with 11 points from his total of 21.

Mitchell Robinson returned to action for the first time since March. He logged 26 minutes, scored 6, grabbed 9 rebounds and the Garden gave him a warm welcome when he was sent in for the first time.

“Overall, I felt great. Have to work on getting my touch back and conditioning. That’s the main thing. I felt really tired. Not as tired as you would have thought. It was bad, but not that bad.”

– Mitchell Robinson

Obi Toppin impressed on both ends of the court with his hustle play and alongside RJ Barret, the two of them combined 27 points.

Coach Tom Thibodeau rotated 10 players, all of them scored and none of them got small minutes. In fact, Taj Gibon played the least amount of minutes – 15.

The Wizards had a strong start early in the game, taking a comfortable lead after a 12-0 run in the first. They led by as many as 18 early in the fourth but collapsed in the final minutes. Raul Neto led them with 25 points off the bench while Spencer Dinwiddie added 17. Daniel Gafford finished in double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Up-next: Regular season for the Knicks start on Wednesday, October 20 when they will host the Boston Celtics.