The Knicks left the court at Madison Square Garden as the first half ended — unwillingly for some. Kemba Walker picked up one technical foul and then as the half ended Julius Randle picked up another. Evan Fournier tried to guide Randle to the locker room and away from the officials as he angrily smacked his arm away.
If that seemed to portend a second-half wakeup for a Knicks team that had been outplayed by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half, the frustration was still evident but for other reasons. Instead of solidifying in the face of the first-half struggles, the Knicks saw the four-point halftime deficit balloon to 24 and the fans let the Knicks hear it much louder than whatever the Knicks said to pile up the technical fouls.