By the end of the third quarter, everyone in Madison Square Garden thought that the New York Knicks would lose. With a score of 87-71, it was hard to come back from a 16-point deficit, especially early in the fourth quarter when this increased to 21 points. They were against the Miami Heat, the very team that beat them last spring in the Eastern Conference Semifinal round.
The odds were awfully stacked against them, and there was a quiet sort of desperation looming over the team as they struggled to gain momentum in the game.
However, just when they were about to hit the ground, there were two things that made them bounce back harder: the entrance of Knicks point guard Immanuel Quickley, and a certain fan.
Quickley entered the third quarter with only four minutes left on the clock. Remaining optimistic about the situation, the point guard refused to back down, drove to the basket, and scored numerous times. In doing so, he became instrumental in helping the team close the gap on Miami.
“It’s a decision to mentally check out or not. It’s a decision to keep fighting. It’s a decision to tell yourself you got to keep fighting no matter what,” said Quickley, as per SNY.tv.
14 of Quickley’s 20 points came in the last 16 minutes of play.
Jalen Brunson, on the other hand, made three clutch baskets and scored 8 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. The reason? A certain fan had looked him in the eye and said, “This is embarrassing.”
"Honestly, a fan looked at me in my eye over here and said 'This is embarrassing.' So I'll say him"
–– Jalen Brunson to Cassidy Hubbarth on what motivated him in the Knicks 21-point comeback win over Miami pic.twitter.com/iLqvfhxQhw
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 25, 2023
Taking the comment personally, Brunson was in no time observed to be in a fired-up state with the manic glint back in his eyes.
Sure enough, with the team’s optimism and desperation, they outscored the Heat with only 1:59 remaining in the clock, 96-97.
And they kept the advantage on their side until the end of the match, managing to hold off the Heat with a final score of 98-100.
Brunson led the Knicks’ offensive effort with 24 points while also posting 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Quickley had 20 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds. RJ Barrett, who also had clutch moments in the game, added 18 points, 1 assist, and 7 rebounds.
The Knicks trailed by 21 points.
They came back in the 4Q to win a must-win game and keep their East Group B hopes alive.
Watch the final minutes of a wild comeback ⬇️📹 pic.twitter.com/ji5SwqyOZp
— NBA (@NBA) November 25, 2023
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