All over the court, in the most significant minutes of the game, were signs of development.

Jalen Brunson, a zero-time All-Star whom the Knicks placed a bet on last offseason to make a leap, could slice into the lane or knock down a step-back and scored eight of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter.

RJ Barrett, up and down for the entirety of his solid, if not spectacular, short career, consistently forced his way through the defense and poured in 10 fourth-quarter points by never settling for jumpers.

Obi Toppin, no longer a threat solely on the fast break, wound his way into the lane for a big bucket to extend the Knicks’ lead to seven halfway through the fourth quarter and consistently cleaned up, with five final-quarter rebounds, and was willing to do the dirty work.