HOUSTON _ You would think that in the course of compiling a 15-63 record, the Knicks would have hit rock bottom. But as they worked out Friday morning, rock bottom seemed like just a stopping point on the way to a gaping abyss.
Emmanuel Mudiay was ruled out with a sore left shoulder, joining Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Kadeem Allen and Allonzo Trier on the sideline. That left only Billy Garrett, who was called up from the G League on Tuesday and had 12 minutes of NBA experience, as the lone point guard on the roster. So coach David Fizdale announced a lineup with Mario Hezonja starting at point guard against the Rockets.
Hezonja had been collecting DNPs before getting a chance to start at power forward against his former team in Orlando two days earlier. But after confidently asserting that he had played point guard in his rookie year and "before, it was my natural position," he amassed his first career triple-double with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists Friday night. And as one might have expected, it mattered little as the Knicks lost to the Rockets, 120-96, after falling behind by as many as 42 points.
