N.Y. Knicks: Bockers Slow Down Indiana's Pace

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

MONDAY

Pacers      84

KNICKS    96

FINAL

Coach Thibodeau Asks And He Receives

Talk about slamming the breaks on the Pacers ...

The Knicks entered Monday's action losers of three of their last four.  Despite a different mix of personnel, Coach Thibodeau still makes defense no less a point of contention. 

Last season the Knicks limited their opponents to a league-fewest of 104.7 points per game.  This season, the opposition has eclipsed 100 points in nine of the Knicks' first 14 games.  At present, they are allowing 109.2 points per game, the tenth most in the league and an increase over last season of 4.5 points per game. 

On Monday, the Knicks took heed and clamped down on the Indiana Pacers.  But not before Indiana took a one-point lead into the half and a 74-69 lead after three.  Afterwhich, the Knicks limited the Pacers to just ten points in the fourth quarter - one-three pointer, two points from midrange, and five points from the line.  Meanwhile, with 23 points in the final session, the Knicks overcame a five-point deficit and came away with an eight-point margin of victory.

Coming off the bench, Derrick Rose is still the backbone and effective MVP of this team.  He scored 14 points and tied for a game-high seven assists in 25 minutes.  Immanuel Quickley tied for a team-high 16 points, including 4/4 from behind the arc in 23 minutes, also off the bench. 

Julius Randle registered a workmanlike double-double with eleven points and a team-high eleven rebounds in 35 minutes.  

But here's the difference between this season and last.  Kemba Walker was 8/11 from the field for 16 points but finished with a minus-15, while Evan Fournier added seven points but posted a minus-10 in 24 minutes.  The Knicks bench averaged a +16, while Julius Randle and RJ Barrett finished -2 and -1, respectively.

 

N.Y. Knicks: Toronto Plants Flag at MSG

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

MONDAY

Raptors    113

KNICKS      94

FINAL

Toronto's Third Quarter is a Rap for Bockers

After Julius Randle's crowd-rising first quarter, the Knicks took a 57-53 lead into halftime.  But Toronto stormed ahead in the third with 38 points for a 101-79 advantage the Knicks could not recover.

Toronto's OG Anunoby scored 36 points in 41 minutes, and Gary Trent Jr. added 26 points in 43 minutes.  Both joined together for 62 (60%) of Toronto's 103 points.  Said another way, for roughly 90% of the game, the Knicks had no answer for either player.

RJ Barrett again led the Knicks with 27 points in 39 minutes, and Julius Randle added 22 points in 37 minutes for a combined 49 points.  Which is to say, they got outscored by Anunboy and Trent Jr. by 13 points.  Not coincidentally, 18 of Randle's 22 points came in the first quarter, leaving just four the rest of the way.  The Knicks lost by nine ...

• That's how you follow up a career game.  RJ Barrett has now eclipsed 20+ points in three consecutive games (28 ppg).

Knick starters were outscored 96-82 by Toronto's starting five.  Fresh off 19-points games at New Orleans, respectively, Kemba Walker topped out at 15 points in 28 minutes, and Evan Fournier added twelve points in 25 minutes. 

Toronto owned the edge in rebounding and did a slightly better job in ball distribution, but the Bockers bench outscored that of the Raptors by a 22-17 margin.

Off the bench, Derrick Rose was only 2/8 from the field, and Immanuel Quickley was just 1/7 from the field but 4/4 from the line for seven points.

N.Y. Knicks: RJ Barrett Marches Through New Orleans

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

SATURDAY

Knicks        123

PELICANS  117

FINAL

RJ Barrett Scores Career-High 35 Points

Last season the Knicks ranked twelfth in conference scoring with 107 points per game.  With two key off-season acquisitions and newfound consistency from beyond the arc, they've not only alleviated some of the scoring burdens off the shoulders of Julius Randle, but they're presently averaging 117 points through the first six games of this still-young season.

• Defensively, the Knicks last season allowed 104.7 ppg; through six games, that number presently sits at 109.8 ppg.

RJ Barrett, drafted by the Knicks with the third overall pick of the 2019 draft, is slowly but surely becoming a star under Tom Thibodeau.  It's not absurd to imagine Thibodeau building a relationship with Barrett similar to the one he enjoyed in Chicago (and still enjoys) with Derrick Rose.

Entering his third season, the 21-year old led the Knicks at New Orleans with a career-high 35 points, including 6/8 from three, and a team-high eight rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes.  Barrett scored 25 points in the second half, of which 16 came in the fourth quarter.  Saturday marked his second consecutive 20+ point game.

Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker finished with 19 points each.  With RJ Barrett, the three joined in shooting 15/23 (65.2%) from beyond the arc for 45 points.  As the only three with double-digit attempts, they collectively shot 24/43 (55.8%) from the field for 73 of the Knicks' 123 total points.

Julius Randle was 4/9 from the field for ten points with six rebounds and four assists in a game-high 38 minutes.  It's the first time he has attempted less than ten field goals this season and the fourth consecutive game of decreased shot attempts.  After 24 attempts against the Magic, he has since tried 18, 11, and nine shots, respectively.

The Knicks were minus-five in rebounds and minus-eight in assists.  But despite eleven more field goal attempts by the Pelicans, the Knicks finished 19/33 (57.6%) from three-point range to compensate for their 81 possessions.

Taj Gibson scored 13 points in 21 minutes, and Alec Burks added ten in 13 minutes off the bench.

With their fifth win in six games, the Knicks join a crowded mountain top with the Wizards, Bulls, and Heat.  They have already chalked up victories against Washington and Chicago but have yet to play Miami.

N.Y. Knicks: Kemba Walker Leads Effort Against Bulls

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

THURSDAY

Knicks   104

BULLS  103

FINAL

Julius Randle Does Heavy Lifting

Don't look now, but the Knicks are among the conference leaders with a 4-1 record and second behind the Charlotte Hornets with 115.8 points per game.

Offseason acquisition Kemba Walker was front and center at Chicago as the Bockers handed the Bulls their first loss.  Walker led the way with a team-high 21 points, converting 5/6 from beyond the arc in 29 minutes.  At one point during the third quarter, he led the Knicks on an 8-0 run to put them up by nine.

RJ Barrett notched his first 20-point game on 8/15 from the floor and 3/3 from the line.  

With his accuracy out of whack, Julius Randle played workhorse with a game-high 16 rebounds and nine assists.  He attempted only the team's fourth-most shots, finishing just 3/11 for 13 points in a team-high 35 minutes.  

Playing before an appreciative crowd, Derrick Rose led the bench effort with twelve points in 19 minutes.

The Knicks took a 55-51 lead into the half and led 82-73 after three.  But the Bulls charged back with 30 points in the fourth quarter.  DeMar DeRozan missed a last-second attempt from midrange, and the Knicks won by one.

N.Y. Knicks Tighten Up Their Act Against Sixers

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

TUESDAY

Sixers       99

KNICKS  112

FINAL

Knicks Seize Control From Sixers in the Second Quarter and Never Look Back

 

Coach Thibs was not pleased with the second game of the Knicks' back-to-back set with the Orlando Magic.  In turn, the responsive Bockers legitimized their early season start with a convincing victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. 

After falling behind in the first quarter, the Knicks responded with a defensive effort more to Coach's liking, holding the 76ers under 90 total shots and their opponents below the century mark for the second time in four games.

Tobias Harris led the Sixers with 23 points and a game-high nine assists in 33 minutes.  He was 10/18 from the field but only 2/6 from beyond the arc.  Danny Green was 4/8 from three for 12 points.  But that's the extent of the Sixer's highlights.  The Knicks contested everything and limited the rest of Philly's participants to 6/27 (22.2%) from behind the arc.  

Joel Embiid had to labor with a bum knee for every one of his 14 points.  The Knicks held him to 2/7 from the field and otherwise forced him to earn his points at the line, where he converted 10/11 attempts.  No other Sixer had more than two free throw attempts.

The Knicks were plus-five in rebounds and broke even in assists.  Free throws were near equal, and points in the paint were a draw.  Although the Knicks were outscored 19-7 off turnovers, they still had five more possessions than Philly, and they made them count.

Propelled by a 39-16 second-quarter effort, the Knicks took a 20-point lead into the half.

Kemba Walker led the Knicks' three-point assault, shooting 7/15 from the field and 5/11 from three for a team-high 19 points.  Evan Fournier finished with 18 points, including 4/6 from three.  All told, the Knicks were 16/37 (43.2%) from the three range.  They outscored the Sixers by twelve from beyond the arc, and therein effectively lies the Knicks' 13-point margin of victory.

Julius Randle registered a quiet double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists in 36 minutes.  Derrick Rose led the bench effort with 13 points in 20 minutes.

N.Y. Knicks: Charged Up Garden Revels in Opening Night O.T. Victory Over Celtics

From the desk: KICKIN' ROCKS DOWN 33RD STREET WIT' JIMMY

WEDNESDAY

CELTICS   134

KNICKS    138

FINAL/OT

Knicks Hustle "Four" Love of the Game

The new-look Knicks won their home opener before an uproarious Wednesday night crowd at Madison Square Garden.  This wasn't the Larry Bird Celtics, but the intensity in the building was no less palpable.

Boston's Jaylen Brown dropped a game-high 46 points, and Jayson Tatum scored another 20 points.  However, Julius Randle poured in a team-high 36 points, and newcomer Evan Fournier finished with 32 points, edge Knicks.

After being limited to 31 games last season, Mitchell Robinson tipped the scales with eleven points and a game-high 17 rebounds.  R.J. Barrett was third in with 19 points, and rounding out the starting lineup, fellow newcomer Kemba Walker scored ten points with three assists and eight rebounds in 36 minutes.

Coach Thibodeau's bench outscored Boston's by a 31-22 margin, with Obi Toppin leading the charge with 14 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes.

The Knicks trailed by four at the half, then seized an 86-82 lead after three.  But Boston wiped that out with 34 points in the fourth quarter.  The Bockers then edged out the Celtics 22-18 in overtime to complete an ongoing 138-134 four-point shuffle.