Tom Thibodeau often lauds his Knicks’ roster for its versatility, with the ability to run their offense through All-Star power forward Julius Randle and veteran guard Alec Burks, if needed.
Such a necessity never felt more immediate for the Knicks this season than it did Thursday night, when those two players fronted them to a nail-biting, 94-93 victory over Orlando with their top three point guards — Elfrid Payton, Derrick Rose and rookie Immanuel Quickley — all unavailable.
After suffering crushing road losses earlier this week against the Nets and the 76ers in their final possession, Reggie Bullock sealed the win for the undermanned Knicks with a strip of Evan Fournier in the closing seconds.