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Knicks' Jennings rips team's effort following road loss to Wizards

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The lowly Washington Wizards were at their most vulnerable on Thursday evening, playing the second night of a back-to-back after falling on Wednesday to the Philadelphia 76ers - the only team in the Eastern Conference with a worse record than them.

The New York Knicks, who were also playing their second game in as many nights, failed to pounce on the reeling squad in a 119-112 loss at the Verizon Center, despite outscoring the opposition 47-32 over the final 12 minutes of action.

Following the defeat, point guard Brandon Jennings let loose on how he feels his team's effort away from Madison Square Garden continues to be lacking.

"We haven't been locking in well on the road," Jennings said, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "That's our big problem. If we want to be the team we think we are, we're going to have to lock in better on the road. We got to play 10 times harder. Teams play better when they're at home because they're feeling good.

"We're the Knicks. You have to know what's across your chest. There's a bigger bull's-eye on it. Everybody wants to beat us. It's a known national team. These are games we have to win. We should be disappointed. We can't just put together two quarters or try to come back in the fourth."

Washington had lost three straight outings and five of six entering Thursday's festivities, while New York had strung together two wins in a row over the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons.

"This is a team desperate for a win and they got one," said Jennings of the Wizards. "They just lost to Philly (Wednesday) night. They come in and beat us. We need to be more desperate."

Jennings, as per usual, was instant offense coming off the pine for head coach Jeff Hornacek, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists on 7-of-10 shooting in 24 minutes of action.

New York is now just 1-5 on the road to open the 2016-17 campaign, with their lone win coming against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 4. The team will now return to the Big Apple for a three-game home stand beginning with the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon.

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