The beauty of the NBA is that even though one team can be clearly better than the other, anyone can win on any given night. The Brooklyn Nets, one of the worst teams in the NBA, have wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics this season, two likely playoff teams. On Monday night, the New York Knicks found themselves matching up against a hungry inferior opponent.

That being the New Orleans Pelicans, who entered the contest with just eight wins on the season, a year that's been a disaster and highlighted by trading away their 2026 first-round pick and the Indiana Pacers' as well, before the season started. With nothing to lose, the Pelicans fought hard, but were unable to stop a late Knicks comeback for a 130-125 victory.

Earning the Knicks' defensive player of the game honors was OG Anunoby, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds while contributing three steals and a block on the defensive side of the floor. Seeing a lot of action on Zion Williamson, Anunoby had his hands full guarding one of the toughest covers in the NBA.

Regardless, it came down to the Knicks' late-game execution, as Anunoby highlighted the team's philosophy in those situations.

"Getting stops and then efficient scoring. Getting a good shot every time down and then getting stops," Anunoby said.

The Knicks shot 12-of-22 (54.5%) from the field in the fourth quarter, along with 50% shooting from three. On the other end, they held the Pelicans to 8-of-22 shooting (36.4%) and 37.5% shooting from three. Furthermore, they held Zion to six points and Saddiq Bey scoreless on four shot attempts.

The Knicks' calling card this season has been their offense, which ranks fourth in the league in scoring and has the third-best offensive rating. As for the defense, it's been middle-of-the-pack, ranking as the 10th best scoring defense but just 16th in defensive rating.

With players like Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Mitchell Robinson all being strong on the defensive end, it all comes down to buying in and doing the little things like contesting shots. The Knicks have the makings of a team that can compete for an NBA title in the Eastern Conference, but they need to sure things up on the defensive end, especially before that can become a reality.

The Knicks return to action on Wednesday to close out the year with a road contest against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.