NEW ORLEANS _ The Knicks ended 2017 with a hard-fought victory on the road. Those have been hard to come by for this surprising team.
They nearly dropped the ball before the ball officially dropped, squandering a 16-point third-quarter lead. But the Knicks erased an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Pelicans, 105-103, on Saturday night to end their losing streak at four games.
The Knicks (18-18) won for only the third time in 15 road games and ended this three-game trip on a high note.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Knicks with 30 points, but they got big contributions from Jarrett Jack and Joakim Noah. Yes, him.
Jack scored nine points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws with 9.1 seconds left. Noah played the last 13 minutes of the game, finished with four points and four rebounds and played his usual hard-nosed defense.
After Jack's free throws, the Pelicans (18-18) went for the win. Anthony Davis attempted a 3-pointer from the left wing but misfired. The Knicks rebounded and celebrated the rare road victory.
Davis finished with 31 points and nine rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins added 29 points and 19 rebounds.
