“It’s been a great moment for all of us,” Wagner acknowledged.
“Obviously they are the defending champions and came with the same mindset as us, which was to secure the first win. So it feels really good to have achieved it,” he explained.
Anthony Black, who returned to the floor, added 18 points and 5 assists off the bench, and Desmond Bane capped the trio of scorers with 22 points and a 4/9 from beyond the arc.
The visitors, powered by Wagner, overpowered the Knickerbockers thanks to a 40-27 run in the final quarter.
The coach Sean Sweeney makes his (long-awaited) debut as an NBA head coach (1-2), and the Knicks, for their part, remain without a win at the start of the season (0-3).
Jalen Brunson was the Knicks’ leading scorer with 28 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists; followed by Karl-Anthony-Towns and O.G. Anunoby with 22 apiece.
The Knicks are the first defending champions to begin a new season with an 0-3 start since the Mavericks in the 2011-12 campaign.
“I made bad decisions at the end of the game. The ball was going in. I think we had good opportunities all night, but it’s those little things that contribute to wins,” Brunson said.
“At the end of the day we have to control what we can control. The most important thing is to stay united,” he concluded.
