Knicks’ Walker Goes Off, But New York Loses to Wiz
After spending the past nine games on the bench, Kemba Walker came out on fire for the New York Knicks, Thursday night, dropping a season high 44-points on the Washington Wizards, in a game New York would lose 124-117.
Of the 44 points Walker scored on Thursday, 28 of them came in the second half.
Kemba Walker with a Knicks season-high tonight:
— x - KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) December 24, 2021
44 PTS - 9 REB - 8 AST - 0 TO - 14/27 FG - 7/14 3PT pic.twitter.com/SBEHSD8qOM
“It felt great. It was a good time. But I really wish we could have won, to be honest,” Walker said. “It’s always tough when you really play well like that and don’t come out on top.”
THAT WAS KEMBA WALKER'S HALF pic.twitter.com/6Ms5lmPCMq
— x - KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) December 24, 2021
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, who benched Walker after he struggled out of the gate this season, likes what he has seen from Walker of late. “He played a monster game, but we came out with a loss,” Thibodeau said. “So it’s a shame to waste that type of effort with a game like that.”
Since re-entering the lineup the past three games, Walker is averaging 31.3 points per game. The 44-point performance was the most Walker has scored in a game since December 11, 2019 when he dropped 44 points on the Sixers, as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Still it wasn’t enough as the Wizards pulled away with a seven point win. Former Net, Spencer Dinwiddie led the way with 21-points for Washington. The Wizards trailed the Knicks 64-57 at the half, before rallying off 33 points in the third quarter to take a four point lead, 90-86, going into the final stanza.
After an off night tonight, the Knicks are back in action on Christmas Day against the Atlanta Hawks at noon.
