NEW YORK — Six seconds.
That was the exact time it took RJ Barrett to grab a rebound and dribble the distance of the court, rim to rim, and deliver the most electric and totally wasted bucket of this Knicks season.
It occurred at the end of regulation, with the Knicks on the brink of collapse. They had allowed the Raptors, a struggling franchise, to recover from a nine-point deficit in the final 5 ½ minutes. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes was at the foul line with a one-point advantage and 6.6 seconds left.
He made the first. …Raptors 110, Knicks 108. …Then Barnes missed the second, and Barrett grabbed the rebound. In bounds and leaps, it seemed, Barrett darted down the floor and dunked all over Barnes with 0.6 seconds on the game clock.
It was a sensational game-tying bucket. And a few minutes later, it meant absolutely nothing.
The Knicks ran out of gas in overtime, and Jalen Brunson’s potential game-winner banged off the rim at the final buzzer of a 123-121 loss to the Raptors.
The MLK Day thriller included 32 points from Barrett in 49 minutes, and 26 from Brunson in his 43 minutes.
The Knicks (25-20), who fell to below-.500 at home, recovered from a six-point deficit in the final minute of overtime and got an open shot from Brunson in transition for the potential win. But the point guard couldn’t deliver like Barrett.
It’s a tradition for MSG to host a game on MLK Day, with the Knicks playing more games on the third Monday of January — 36 — than any other franchise. They’re also successful, this year notwithstanding, with 23 victories.
BRUNSON HONORED
Brunson beat out teammate Julius Randle for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, becoming the first Knick to win the award since Kemba Walker’s very brief Christmas redemption tour last season.
For the week ending Sunday, Brunson averaged 34.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5 assists as the Knicks went 4-1. Randle, who was among the nominations for Player of the Week, averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds in the same stretch. He won the award twice during the 2020-21 season.
Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis was the Western Conference Player of the Week.
