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New York Knicks: Keys To Defeating The Washington Wizards

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:36 p.m. ET

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Nov 17, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Knicks center Willy Hernangomez (14) shoots as Washington Wizards forward Andrew Nicholson (44) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks will have a shot at vengeance against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, Jan. 31. What must New York do to achieve victory?

Though the end result was a loss, the New York Knicks are coming off of one of the most encouraging games of the season. Carmelo Anthony had his best performance of 2016-17 and the Knicks went to four overtimes with a postseason-caliber opponent despite losing four players to foul trouble.

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, the Knicks will have a chance to prove that the moral victories weren’t lost on this veteran team in need of a turnaround.

New York enters the clash with the red-hot Washington Wizards at 21-28. Washington, meanwhile, is 27-20 overall and 19-6 at home, as well as 21-9 since Dec. 1 and 11-4 since Jan. 1—the second-best record in the NBA.

Since Jan. 1, the only team that has a better record than the Wizards is the Golden State Warriors at 12-2.

The last time New York and Washington met, the Wizards prevailed with a 113-110 victory. The Knicks blew a 110-109 lead with 33 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, which creates the fair and rational hope that victory could be within reach.

Washington hasn’t lost at home since Dec. 6, but the Knicks can win this game. The question is: what must New York do to achieve victory?

Jan 19, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) shoots on a technical during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Washington Wizards won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

5. Establish The 3-Point Shot

The New York Knicks are preparing to face a Washington Wizards team that’s made a combined 28 3-point field goals against Kurt Rambis’ defense in 2016-17. That’s over a span of just two games, which is a sign of how important defense will be.

Whether or not New York can successfully defend the 3-point shot, it must shoot with more consistency on Jan. 31.

New York shot 12-of-29 in the first meeting with Washington, but that number is misleading. The Knicks trailed 87-65 entering the fourth quarter and made seven of those 12 shots in an unsuccessful attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback.

For the rest of the game, the Knicks made five 3-point field goals and failed to overcome the drastic difference between their production from distance and Washington’s.

In the second go-round, New York shot just 7-of-24 from 3-point range in a three-point loss. Had they even shot a respectable percentage from distance, the Knicks likely would have either won the game or forced overtime.

Against a team that’s proven capable of getting hot against this very defense, the Knicks must establish the 3-point shot early and maintain an efficient stroke.

Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings (3) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

4. Ball Movement

The New York Knicks are a postseason-caliber team when embracing team basketball and atrocious when they play one-on-five. Though there are some who still believe the Knicks can live in isolation, the numbers prove otherwise.

If the Knicks are going to make a statement in Washington, then the key will be to embrace ball movement and execute as a team.

New York is currently 19-15 when it records at least 20 assists and 2-13 when it fails to reach that number. Moreover, it’s 15-7 when it dishes out at least 22 assists and 6-21 when it fails to come up with at least 22 dimes.

One could call that an arbitrary number, but the sample size and win-loss record firmly establishes 22 as something of a magic number.

New York is also 12-4 when it reaches 24 assists, which further establishes how successful the Knicks can be when moving the ball. Unfortunately, the Knicks have a painful tendency to stop moving the ball and play as a five-man lineup of individuals instead of as a team.

There will be other factors involved, but moving the ball must be a top priority for the Knicks if victory is truly the goal.

Jan 19, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) gestures after a three point basket during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Washington Wizards won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

3. Defend The 3-Point Line

Nothing has hurt the New York Knicks more on the road in 2016-17 than the inability to adequately defend the 3-point shot. New York is failing to run players off the 3-point line and is making poor rotations to contest the shots they can’t seem to prevent.

If the Knicks are going to defeat the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center, then they must be able to prevent the opposition from catching fire from 3-point range.

During New York’s 119-112 loss to Washington on Nov. 17, the Wizards converted 15 3-point field goals on 25 attempts. During its 113-110 home loss to the Wizards on Jan. 19, Washington poured in 13 3-point field goals on 32 attempts.

That translates to 60.0 and 40.6 percent from 3-point range, which is far too high for any team to allow when attempting to win a game.

The player to watch is Otto Porter Jr., who made a combined 10 3-point field goals between the two meetings. It will be on Carmelo Anthony to defend his position and prevent Porter from going off for a third consecutive game.

Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. have also hurt the Knicks from distance, but containing Porter would set a tone for New York’s defense.

Jan 27, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) celebrate a basket by Porzingis against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. Play A Full Four Quarters

During the two meetings between the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, the same story unfolded. New York fell behind after three quarters and took over with a dominant performance in the final period of play.

If the Knicks are going to upset the Wizards on Tuesday, Jan. 31, they’ll need to play a full four quarters.

New York outscored Washington by a margin of 71-45 during the two fourth quarters that the two teams played against one another. That includes a 47-32 margin during the first encounter and a 24-13 advantage during the second.

Unfortunately, the 15 and 11-point advantages in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to prevent the Knicks from losing.

This time around, it’s imperative that the Knicks bring the same level of intensity in the first three quarters as they have in the fourth. A lack of defensive intensity has plagued New York throughout the 2016-17 season, but there are encouraging signs.

If the Knicks play with the heart and passion they displayed against the Atlanta Hawks, then Washington’s 14-game home winning streak could come to an end.

Jan 27, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after missing two of three free throws during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

1. Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony had what may have been the best game of his career on Sunday, Jan. 29. The New York Knicks star went off for 45 points, but it was about far more than just the number of points he scored against the Atlanta Hawks.

Anthony converted absurdly difficult shots, welcomed the criticism from an unforgiving fan base, and even drew up defensive schemes in a clutch moment.

Anthony dominated through three quarters, but went cold for most of the fourth. Once the fans could be heard telling him that he would never win, however, Anthony took over in the clutch and made a number of vital shots.

Anthony may not produce against Washington in the way he did against Atlanta, but he must play with the same sense of urgency.

The Knicks rallied around Anthony during the Hawks game. They saw how impassioned Anthony was and, in the face of trade rumors, found something to play for: the team leader who, though better and worse, is as beloved a figure as any in the NBA.

If the Knicks are going to defeat the Wizards, then Anthony must play with the same level of intensity on both ends of the floor.

The New York Knicks must play with and for one another in order to defeat the Washington Wizards.

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