NEW YORK — John Wall recorded a double-double with 29 points and 13 assists, Otto Porter Jr. added 23 points and the Washington Wizards held off the New York Knicks 113-110 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
Wall closed out the contest by scoring the last four points and then stole the ball from Brandon Jennings to prevent New York from attempting a potential 3-pointer, while Porter Jr. made six 3-pointers for the second straight night for Washington.
“Just trying to make the big-time plays,” Wall said after the win. “But, if it’s me scoring or me passing, I’m going to live with the results if it’s the right read and the right play, and tonight I came up with some big shots and we won.”
Markieff Morris ended with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks and Marcin Gortat grabbed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards (22-19), who was winning four-straight.
“It’s good to get a road win. We’ve had so many last-second shots on the road that didn’t go our way,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said.
“It’s nice to get a close-out tonight.”
Carmelo Anthony led New York with 34 points and 10 rebounds, but went cold after a record-setting second quarter – scoring only seven of his total in the second half and went just 2-of-12 after halftime.
Derrick Rose added 20 points, Kristaps Porzingis returned from injury to score 15 off the bench, while Kyle O’Quinn finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the defeat for the Knicks (19-24).
Washington outscored the Knicks 38-27 in the opening period, but the home side responded with a 40-28 second quarter performance, with Anthony erupting before the interval.
Carmelo Anthony Record Setting 2nd Quarter
Anthony scored 27 points in the first half, including a Knicks franchise-record 25 points in the second quarter, as New York, which trailed by as many as 13 in the first period, led 67-66 at halftime.
The star forward made 10-of-12 shots in the second quarter alone and connected on 3-of-5 from 3-pointers.
However, after the break, Anthony and the Knicks went cold, as the Wizards took over the contest again to build up another sizable lead of 91-79 in the third quarter.
That run forced New York coach Jeff Hornacek into taking a timeout to cool things off with 2:59 left in the quarter.
Washington outscored the Knicks 34-19 in the third quarter to lead 100-86 going into the final session.
For more information on the teams visit the official Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks websites for more video and photo coverage.
