Wizards vs. Knicks: Score and Twitter Reaction from Christmas Day 2014

The NBA's Christmas slate tipped off with a showdown in Madison Square Garden between the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. Like many games for the home team this season, it often wasn't pretty, and the 102-91 final score indicated that.  

As bad as this season has been for the Knicks, Thursday's loss might have been the most embarrassing moment because of the national stage and the fact that it was at home. Everyone knew Phil Jackson had a long road ahead of him, but few could have predicted a 5-26 start. 

There were no bad vibes for the Wizards, who improved their record to 20-8—after ending a two-game losing skid—and maintained their spot as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. This was a vintage performance for the 2014-15 Washington team, with six players scoring in double figures. 

This has turned into a one-sided rivalry that the Wizards have been in complete control of lately, as the team tweeted out after the win:

Not surprisingly, John Wall was the star of the show. The Wizards' star point guard was a monster offensively with double-digit points and assists. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the 17th such game for the 24-year-old:

As those numbers illustrate, Wall has taken the leap everyone expected when he came out of Kentucky in 2010. David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted the development for Wall and how quickly it seemed to come:

To further illustrate the point, all you have to do is look at his season stat line. Wall's scoring average (17.8) is down from last year's 19.3 mark. But he's hitting nearly 2 percent more of his attempts (43.3 to 45.2), and his assists increased from 8.8 to 10.4 entering Thursday. 

You can see that floor vision on display in this play at the end of the first quarter, via NBA.com:

If you needed proof of Wall's ability to make dazzling plays and finish them on his own, this layup is here to provide just that, via NBA.com:

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard couldn't resist offering Wall praise on Twitter:

In this era of elite point guard play with names like Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook, Wall definitely belongs in that top tier based on what he's doing this year. 

One beneficiary of Wall's passing skills is Bradley Beal, who continues to show dazzling range with his shooting ability—he had 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. 

In fact, an amusing note from this game and the difference between these two teams was provided by Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal when answering a rhetorical question:

When you consider what Wall offers with his ability to drive the lane and Beal's smooth form beyond the arc, it's no surprise that the Wizards have built on their success from last season to become one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. 

On the losing side, this game summed up who the Knicks currently are with no end in sight. The loss came one day after Jackson tweeted out how things will get better for the franchise in 2015:

Carmelo Anthony had a strong game with 34 points on 13-of-28 shooting. And he played 43 of 48 minutes, but the effort was wasted because no one else could get going. 'Melo also had some issues throughout the game, as noted by Kenny Ducey of WFAN Radio:

There was also controversy late in the fourth quarter, as Quincy Acy appeared to deliberately run into Wall as the Wizards star was driving to the basket. Wall took exception to it, and Acy threw a punch that led to him being ejected. 

Following the game, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post provided a statement from Wall discussing the incident, while Ian Begley of ESPN New York provided a synopsis from Knicks head coach Derek Fisher and Acy too:

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated noted that Acy's actions were beyond stupid given the situation in the game:

Anthony got little help from his supporting cast, as Jose Calderon and Cole Aldrich were the only other Knicks to score in double figures. Calderon has been averaging 16 points over the last four games, though he's needed a high volume of shots to do it, hitting under 40 percent of his attempts in the last two games.

It's rare that a sporting event goes exactly as you would think going in. The Wizards vs. Knicks proved to be an exception. Washington is a young team with a legitimate superstar and depth at every position. Randy Wittman's bunch is no longer a novelty act; it is one of the best teams in the East and should be recognized as such now. It's evident this team will be a force in the 2015 playoffs. 

The Knicks have been a walking disaster basically since the season began. Anthony got his big contract in the offseason, but the front office was unable to get another big star to join him. Fisher has looked in over his head as a first-time head coach, though Jackson shouldn't get off easy for assembling this roster. 

After such a display, it is difficult to envision the team turning it around this offseason, and fans should already be thinking about how Jackson can improve this team in free agency.