Westchester Knicks, 10-3, Corral the Herd for Historic Win
There should be a rule specified in basketball at any level: if one team is leading by more than 50 points at any point of the game, the game should be ruled a complete game and ended. Sort of like the Mercy Rule in high school baseball and softball.
I understand that fans have paid to view a four-quarter contest but anyone watching the Westchester Knicks dismantle the lowly Wisconsin Herd at the Westchester County Center, on Friday, November 23, might agree with my aforementioned proposal.
The Westchester Knicks set a franchise record for margin of victory when they demolished the Herd by 56 points, 131-75. The game was great for the local Knicks, the NBA Gatorade League affiliate of the NY Knicks, whose purpose is to develop talent. However, it sure was not a pleasant fourth quarter to witness, especially for the Herd!
The G League Knicks led by as much as 61 points in the fourth quarter and had eight players in double figures at the conclusion of the game. The local Knicks shot 56.5 % from the field. They made 48-of-85 field goals in the game. The Herd took 86 shots, which was one more than the Knicks, but made only 24 of those shots for a 30% average. Talk about the ball not falling. But there was also a lot of good defense by the upstart Knicks.
“I thought we stuck together and played the way we wanted to play. And we were able to sustain it,” commented Westchester Knicks Head Coach Mike Miller.
Center Luke Kornet has been burning up the County Center court since being assigned from the NY Knicks to Westchester on November 5. The 7’0” center is averaging 19.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists a game since being assigned to G League affiliate by the NY Knicks.
Kornet shot 8-of-14 from the field and made 5-of-7 three pointers, while totaling 25 points in the historical blow-out of the Herd. “Luke has really improved his overall game. In this game he is shooting and creating offense for others as well. His real ability is that he makes players around him better; he helps your team play better,” said Miller, before Kornet returned to the NY Knicks roster for the Milwaukee Bucks game, on Saturday, December 1..
New Orleans Pelicans Flex-Assignee Kenrich Williams, while playing in his first game at the County Center, scored a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Also, scoring in double figures in the Westchester Knicks historical victory was Billy Garrett, 17 points, Gyorgy Goloman 14, Trevon Bluett 13, Paul Watson 12, Kadeem Allen 11 and Stephen Zimmerman 10 points.
When the Herd returned the next day to complete the back-to-back on Saturday, November 24, their focus was definitely to stampede the locals and retain some respect at the County Center. Wisconsin (1-10) fared better but lost again to the local Knicks, 105-91. But at least this time they only lost by 14 points rather than the 56-point historical deficit the prior evening.
The Westchester Knicks (10-3) have progressed to first place in the Eastern Conference after winning five straight games. The local Knicks beat the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, 91-73, on Tuesday, November 27, to complete a five-game homestand. They then traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina, on Saturday, December 1, where they defeated the Greensboro Swarm, 110-99, for their fifth straight win.
The Westchester Knicks will return to the County Center to challenge the South Bay Lakers, the NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, on Wednesday, December 5, at 7:00 P.M.
