Knicks Return Home Encouraged By Play of Youngsters

 
The Knicks finished their season-high five-game road trip with a 2-3 record, but more importantly, they came away with plenty of positives to feel good about.  Youngsters Toney Douglas and Bill Walker continued their development, J.R. Giddens made his Knicks debut and David Lee dominated against some of the league’s best big men.  

And, most importantly, the team played with confidence.   

Now, the Knicks are back at home for a matchup against the Philadelphia Sixers on Friday in the second meeting between the two teams in four days. The first game went to the Knicks, who rode a strong performance from Douglas and shut down Philadelphia in the second half en route to a 94-84 win.   

The victory over the Sixers came two nights after cruising to a 34-point triumph in Dallas, the Knicks’ largest road win since 2001. In one of their most impressive wins of the entire season, the Knicks ended the Mavericks’ 13-game winning streak with a convincing 128-94 triumph.   

The Knicks entered the final game of the road trip in Boston riding a two-game winning streak after their wins over Philadelphia and Dallas, but they were unable to make it three in a row.  After the Celtics jumped out to an early double-digit lead, the Knicks never recovered and dropped a 109-97 decision.   

Douglas was promoted to the starting point guard spot three games ago after being a game-changer in the first two games of the trip against San Antonio and Memphis. Over the previous five games, the rookie has provided the energy and defense Coach Mike D’Antoni had been looking for from his team. Douglas might just have earned himself the starting job for the rest of the season.   

“When he was on the floor, we were a lot better,” D’Antoni told MSG after Monday’s win over the Sixers.   

Douglas is averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds over the past four games, including a 20-point, seven-assist performance against Philadelphia.  He has shot 28-for-49 from the field and 9-for-20 from beyond the arc during the span as well.   

If all works out as planned, Douglas will one day become a consistent player like fifth-year center Lee, who was also a late first-round pick of the Knicks. Lee, who was selected to his first All-Star game last month, averaged 18.0 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists during the five-game trip. And he put up those numbers while playing against stars like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.   

Walker and Giddens, meanwhile, are making headlines since coming over from Boston at the trade deadline. Walker, a second-year forward, was back in the starting lineup against the Celtics after Wilson Chandler missed Wednesday’s game with a sore groin. Giddens scored four points against his former team in his Knicks debut.  

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