The Knicks blew a double-digit lead against the Wizards in a showcase in London when a disastrous second half overshadowed a quite frankly fun first two quarters.

The New York Knicks (10-34) faced off against the Washington Wizards (19-26) in London for a Thursday afternoon game. Eventually losing by a last-second block attempt turned cataclysmic goaltending by Allonzo Trier, the Wizards rallied from 19 behind at the half, to win by a single point.

The Knicks began their first game abroad with an energy and aggressiveness we’ve seen in moments throughout the season. Luke Kornet led these young Knicks from beyond the arc, hitting 2-of-4 in just the first quarter.

Noah Vonleh showed great versatility, at times catching the ball from deep and driving to the basket. The Knicks feasted on the Wizards’ inability to stop dribble-drive-penetration, outscoring them 66-53 at the half.

While Kornet started the game hot, it was Damyean Dotson and Allonzo Trier who picked up the slack in the second quarter. Off the bench, the two combined put up 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while hitting 62.5 percent of their shots. The stat lines illustrate that Emmanuel Mudiay and Kornet had great games, but they won’t show how effective Dotson and Trier were on both ends of the floor.

When playing against the Knicks, it’s always a matter of when, not if. “When are the Wizards going to start heating up?” “When will Bradley Beal stop teasing and just go off?”

Both fair questions.

Entering today’s game, Bradley Beal has been on fire—seriously. In the past 10 games, Beal has been averaging 39.6 minutes, 29.3 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.3 rebounds on 46.8 percent shooting from the field.

So yes, it was a matter of when Beal would go off against the Knicks. After a slow start, Beal came out of the half running and gunning, commanding the attention of every Knicks defender within reach, and without a falter, he eventually caught fire.

On a putrid 10-of-29 (34 percent) shooting, Beal made it look easy, dropping in 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while also being +6 on the floor. It was Beal’s aggressiveness that changed the dynamics of the game after the half, and it resulted in a W for the Wizards—and a W of sorts for the New York Knicks franchise, if you consider a face-palming last-second loss a “win” for the invisible tank.

Here are a couple notes about today’s game.

 

#FoundMitch

#WheresMitch has been trending a lot lately, and rightfully so. Mitchell Robinson was stuck on the sideline for about a month, with a lingering ankle and groin injury. Well, ladies and gents, we #FoundMitch.

It was the sort of situation where the Knicks didn’t know what they had until he was gone—which, in this case, was any form of interior defense plus glorious and powerful dunks. While Robinson is having a rather quiet season statistically, averaging 17.2 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, his first game back off the bench was encouraging nonetheless.

Within seconds of entering the game, Mitch caught an alley-oop pass from a driving Allonzo Trier, showing Knicks fans exactly what he brings to the game. On this current roster, and in the NBA, there are very few players that have Mitchell’s combination of physique and athleticism. When he was hurt, it was clear that the Knicks lacked his verticality on offensive and rim protection on defense.

As he returns to form and gets more playing time, Robinson will be able to further solidify himself as an asset not easily replaced.

KORN3T

Luke Kornet entered this afternoon’s game with eight career starts. As an undrafted rookie, Kornet showed the ability to hit the deep ball, but just wasn’t given the full opportunity to do so. Enter Fizdale’s long leash and love for stretch bigs.

Prior to the game, Kornet has hit 42 percent of hit attempts from beyond the arc. Mind you, this is a 7-foot-1, 250-pound center. Given the green light off pick-and-roll situations, Kornet has provided much needed spacing for the Knicks. In tandem with Mudiay driving toward the basket, Kornet is oftentimes a step or two behind the line, helping him obtain an open shot which he very comfortable hitting.

His contributions didn’t end there. Kornet also put up a career-high five steals tonight, several from Bradley Beal. A great communicator defensively, Kornet remains a solid role player for the Knicks.

With Mitchell Robinson coming back, and an Enes Kanter trade possibly on the horizon, it’s anyone’s guess how much longer Kornet will be in the starting lineup.

Has anyone seen Tim Hardaway Jr.? #WheresTim?

We #FoundMitch, but does anyone know where Tim Hardaway Jr. is?

THJ is the type of player some fans scoff at. He may forcibly be the first or second option on this Knicks team, but he’s certainly not taking advantage of the volume afforded that title.

After a very solid, if not great, October for Hardaway Jr., it’s been a constant snowball down a very steep hill. Over the past 10 games, he has hit just 36.6 percent of his shots, while putting up 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.

His cold streak continued as he faced off against Bradley Beal, who’s on the other cold/hot end of the spectrum. Tim played 25 minutes tonight and only attempted seven shots, which leaves the coaching staff puzzled on their presumptive first option on offense.

Tim Hardaway Jr. continues his months-long slump, so why hasn’t David Fizdale yanked him from the starting lineup? We know for a fact that he is a negative defensively, so what exactly does he bring to the table?

Fizdale has often said that passing and defense are what he wants this team to prioritize the most, and as it just so happens that those are Tim Hardaway’s worst traits. If he continues to play the way he has, the coaching staff will have to ask themselves when—not if—they’re going to demote him.

The Knicks are home against Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the Oklahoma City Thunder—this time stateside—on Monday.