Tim Hardaway Jr. New York Knicks
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks overcome a strong defensive effort from the Jazz and win due to excellent clutch play from Tim Hardaway Jr.

  • New York Knicks 106 (8-6)
  • Utah Jazz 101 (6-9)
  • NBA, Final, Box Score

The Utah Jazz are one of the best defenses in the NBA. Even without star center Rudy Gobert, they’re expertly coached by Quinn Snyder. Wednesday night was a great test for the New York Knicks.

The Knicks passed that test. Tim Hardaway Jr. led a fierce fourth-quarter comeback; scoring 14 of his 26 points in the final period. With Kristaps Porzingis having an off night — for him — it was the No. 2 guy’s night to step up and he did.

Utah’s defense tested the Knicks tonight and they responded with another example of how much things have changed in New York. Last year’s squad would’ve folded against a fourth-quarter lead, but not this team. This team is made of something different.

Key Stat

It’s the turnovers. The Knicks average 16.5 turnovers per game but they only had 11 tonight. That was against a Jazz team that forces more turnovers than any other team in the NBA.

Key Player

Frank Ntilikina closed out the game for the Knicks again tonight. Once again, the stats aren’t flashy, but his impact was definitely felt.