Kyle O’Quinn’s voice boomed across the Knicks’ locker room at Madison Square Garden late Tuesday evening. “I told you stop messing with me,” the 6-10, 26-year-old forward from Norfolk State via Jamaica, Queens, warned Kiyan Anthony, as he playfully clutched the apologetic yet retreating youngster. But it was too late for contrition or escape.
The pleas of the 9-year-old son of Carmelo Anthony fell on deaf ears as O’Quinn playfully dipped a laughing Kiyan’s head into a cooler filled with ice and water. It was a much welcomed moment of levity for the Knicks, provided by a player who has emerged as a key member of their rotation this season as well as a resident comedian.
Not long before exacting revenge on Kiyan, O’Quinn helped his team end a three-game losing streak as they overcame a double-digit deficit in the third quarter against the visiting Indiana Pacers, led by the elder Anthony. Kiayn’s dad’s 35 points, tying a season high, including shooting a blistering 7-for-11 on three-point attempts, drove the Knicks to a 118-111 win, keeping them above the .500 mark at 15-13.
After dropping the last three games of a nine-day, five-game road trip, ending it with a listless 127-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets last Saturday, the Knicks returned home having to play with a sense of urgency, which didn’t reveal itself until well into the second half versus the Pacers.
“I don’t know if it is the first game back from the road trip,” said Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, offering a possible reason for his team falling behind by 15 points in the third quarter. “I think it’s good that we got our energy back in the fourth quarter.” Before the game, Hornacek lamented the Knicks’ lack of energy to conclude the long journey against five Western Conference opponents.
“We knew what was at stake,” said O’Quinn. “I know we called our [game against Denver] a must win, but this was a must, must, must win. … This was a really, really big win for us.”
The Knicks continued to demonstrate home court strength, pushing their record to 10-4 as opposed to 5-9 away from the Garden. They will remain home to host the Orlando Magic tonight (Thursday) and the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day.
“We let a couple slip away from us on this [recent] road trip,” said Knicks guard Courtney Lee. “The one thing that helps us is when we play with energy and have the crowd behind us. That sixth man helps us get through a lot and on the road and we kind of lost that. … Pretty much every away game that we’ve had has felt like a home game. There’s so many Knicks fans, so that should help us.”
What undoubtedly helped was Derrick Rose’s return to the lineup. The dynamic guard was instrumental to the win over the Pacers, scoring 24 points with six assists after missing three games on the trip out west and playing only 10 minutes against the Phoenix Suns because of back spasms.
“I think I know my body,” Rose said afterward. “A couple of days ago I wasn’t ready and just had to give it time.” Just in time, too, for the Knicks to get back on track.
