New York blew a 10-point lead in a seesaw preseason game, and it was Washington finishing the possessions that mattered. The Knicks fall to 0-2 in exhibition play with the October 20 opener against Philadelphia now the next game that counts.
Lead, Then Gone
The back-and-forth had 12 lead changes and 12 ties, and New York still came out on the wrong side of it. The Knicks opened a 10-point cushion, lost all of it, and watched Washington build a 9-point lead of its own before closing it out, 111-109.
Closers Missing
Mike Brown closed with Jaden Akins, James Wiseman, Jose Alvarado, Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Nickel on the floor — a deep preseason look with no starters left in the game. Washington answered with its own reserves: Chris Livingston, Felix Okpara, Justin Champagnie, Reece Beekman and Tre Mann. Nickel's 25-foot three with 27 seconds left cut it to 111-109, and after Beekman's turnover gave New York one more look, Bruce Brown's pullup jumper at the final horn did not fall.
Grades Mixed
Josh Hart was the best Knick on the floor: 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a steal, a block and no turnovers in 21 minutes. Landry Shamet matched his point total off the bench, hitting 3 of 4 threes in a plus-4 night. Jalen Brunson got his 13 on 6-of-12 shooting but connected on just 1 of 6 from deep. Towns shot 2-for-7, turned it over three times and finished minus-2 in 19 minutes — the shakiest line among the starters.
Bench Did The Work
New York's reserves outscored the starters, 55-46. Andre Drummond nearly logged a double-double off the bench with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Mohamed Diawara and Miles McBride posted the two best plus-minus marks on the floor, both at plus-5, while Pacome Dadiet's minus-8 in 12 minutes was the worst mark on the New York side.
What It Means
This is preseason, so the record that counts stays 0-0, but the Knicks are now 0-2 in games played, after an earlier preseason loss at Philadelphia. The center mix of Towns, Andre Drummond, James Wiseman and Tony Bradley is still unsettled, and New York gets four days before hosting Minnesota on October 12, with the October 20 opener against the 76ers still the date that actually matters.
Did the Knicks win their preseason game against the Wizards?
No. New York led by 10 points but lost 111-109 after Washington closed the game with a bench-heavy lineup.
What was the final score of Knicks vs Wizards on October 8?
The Wizards won 111-109 in a preseason game decided in the final seconds.
