HOUSTON — The Knicks already were facing a big challenge that grew even bigger and more daunting with Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter unable to play because of back issues.
It would have taken a near-perfect performance on both ends of the floor for the Knicks, without their best player and their best inside player, to beat the team with the best record in the Western Conference on Saturday night. They didn’t get it.
The Knicks looked up for the challenge early, building a 22-point lead in the first quarter. But they came back to reality and were run out of the Toyota Center by the Rockets, 117-102.