3 Key Takeaways After New York Knicks Finally Break Losing Streak

It didn't come in the most impressive fashion, and it didn't come against the stiffest of competition, but after 16 long games, the New York Knicks are finally back in the winners column.

Against the New Orleans Pelicans Monday, the Knicks held off a late rally to secure a 99-92 win, their first since Dec. 12.

Yes, the Pelicans were without Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, but as Carmelo Anthony said after the game, a win is a win.

"We talk about how we have to act as we expected it," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said, per the New York Post. "We obviously enjoy it, but we still have to get back to work and not feel so good about it, because it feels good to win.

The issues the Knicks have been dealing with this season have not been fixed, and the team is still far from where its fanbase wants it to be, but the win is at least proof that things won't be hopeless forever in New York.

Here are a few things that can be learned from the Knicks seven-point win against the Pelicans, and what it will mean to the franchise.

Carmelo is still really good

At least in the beginning of the losing streak, Carmelo was doing what he has done ever since joining the Knicks. No matter the play of those surrounding him, Anthony would consistently find a way to put up 25 to 30 points regularly.

But for the first six games of 2015, Anthony was sidelined with a knee injury, with some fearing his season might be finished. Anthony was hearing none of it though, and in just his second start since returning from injury, he scored 24 points in 36 minutes played.

It wasn’t a world-breaking performance by any stretch, but watching Melo hit the court for a majority of the game was a big boost for the Knick faithful.

This season, the Knicks have seen that they cannot simply rely on Anthony putting up big numbers consistently and winning just enough games, although he still is the face of the franchise and one of the best scorers in the league.

If Melo is good, that is fine for the Knicks, but if he struggles, things can turn ugly fast.

Langston Galloway has a spot in New York

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For the past year, it has been made abundantly clear the Knicks are in the very early stages of a rebuild. Not much has gone right for the Knicks this season, and any look to the future is met with a number of questions.

But with so much up in the air when it comes to the Knicks roster next year and beyond, New York might have found a piece of the future in former St. Joseph’s product Langston Galloway.

Galloway, who spent the first half of the season in the NBA D-League with the Westchester Knicks, has been with the team for just five games and has already started to make an impact.

The 23-year-old is averaging 25 minutes per game, and just 12 points, but his first start at point guard against the Pelicans was a successful one. Galloway finished Monday’s game with a career-high 21 points and five rebounds, to go with three assists.

If Galloway can build on his big night against New Orleans, and an earlier breakout performance against Houston in his second game, he could establish himself behind Melo as the second option the Knicks have been looking for.

A winning streak could be coming?

Well, maybe not a winning streak, but the Knicks schedule looks manageable for the rest of the season, and the team could see a big uptick in wins in the coming weeks.

Following the win against the Pelicans, the Knicks face a run of 17 games, only three of which come against teams with a record of .500 or better.

Going back and looking at the losing streak, the Knicks took on teams with winning records in 13 of the 16 losses, and were competitive in a number of those games.

If the Knicks can bottle the form they found in the first three quarters against the Pelicans, and the players can continue to grow with each other, we could very well go back to talking about the 76ers or the Timberwolves as the league’s weakest side, rather than the Knicks.

With Melo back, Galloway on the rise, Amar’e Stoudemire showing signs of life again and Tim Hardaway Jr. showing moments of brilliance, putting the losing streak in the past could lead to a real turnaround for New York.