Kemba Walker benched again in crunch time in Magic loss

Kemba Walker may be the starter but Tom Thibodeau hasn’t trusted him as the closer.

Walker again was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 110-104 loss to the Magic, watching as Derrick Rose played point guard down the stretch.

Walker, who finished with 10 points in 19 minutes, and has totaled just seven fourth-quarter minutes over three games.

He also sat the second overtime in the opening night victory over Boston.

“Like our team, he’s had some good moments. And there’s been some moments of not being as good as he can play,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But our team, we get in a situation like (Sunday against Orlando), you’re searching. I was searching for guys who could give us a shot. I thought the group we ended up closing with gave us our best shot.”

The Knicks have been outscored by 17 points this season with Walker on the court, the worst +/- on the squad. He’s averaging a quiet 10.3 points in 25.5 minutes.

Rose, meanwhile, has been more reliable while averaging nearly 15 points in 25 minutes. He scored 23 off the bench Sunday and hit 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. The Knicks have outscored opponents by 49 points when Rose is on the court.

That’s been the biggest difference between Rose and Walker. And Thibodeau still clearly trusts Rose the most.