Coming off the G League Showcase, the Westchester Knicks took on their cross-town opponents , the Long Island Nets. In the second Battle Of ‘Burbs meeting of the season, the Knicks edged their division foe, 98-90. With the win over Long Island, Westchester improved to 20-10.
Throughout the first half, both teams battled back and forth. In the second quarter, the Knicks totaled 24 points with nine of those coming from Billy Garrett. In the past three games, Garrett has seen consistent playing time. The DePaul product finished with 14 points, marking the first time he finished in double figures through three consecutive games in Westchester.
In his eighth game on assignment from the New York Knicks, Damyean Dotson put on a show. The Knicks guard shot the ball efficiently and attacked the rim with force. He threw down a couple of strong dunks like a reverse baseline slam, which brought the Westchester County Center to their feet. Dotson led Westchester with 27 points and nine rebounds on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.
“We were trying to play off him a lot without wearing him out,” Westchester head coach Mike Miller said following the game. “We were trying to let him play six or seven minutes really hard. [He obviously draws] a lot of attention. [The Nets] were doing things early and trying to keep him from catching it. I thought he did a nice job of just staying within what he does and letting it come to him and as you said he had a very efficient 27 and 9 tonight.”
Luke Kornet had an efficient shooting night by finishing with 18 points on 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from three. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a well-rounded game by recording 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Westchester has a quick turnaround following their game against Long Island. After defeating their division foe, the Dub Knicks packed their bags and headed north to take on the Maine Red Claws the next day.
“We hope that we prepare for these type of things and now it is what it is, so we’ll have to look at playing some more guys tomorrow earlier [and] playing more people,” Miller said. “Trying to shorten the minutes a little bit. Get it to the second half and try to do what we do.”
The Knicks and Nets meet each other two more times this season. If this game is indicative of things to come, their next two match-up will be worth tuning into. The two teams meet on Mar. 6 & 8 in a home-and-home series.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
