The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 115-91. New York’s dominant win secured the wild-card spot for the In-Season Tournament.
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The New York Knicks earned a spot in the next round of the In-Season Tournament by blowing out the Charlotte Hornets 115 to 91. The Knicks sprinted to a quick lead before letting their foot off the gas. The Hornets chipped away in the second quarter and caught New York sleeping out of halftime. But Julius Randle jump-started the offense late in the third; then the bench came in to pick the lead back up. The Knicks would run away with the game in the fourth quarter, and they ran up the lead due to point-differential playing a role in the In-Season Tournament standings.
New York survived a slow night from Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, largely thanks to Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley’s offensive push. Meanwhile, their defense received a gem from Mitchell Robinson, with Josh Hart providing energy for everyone. Thanks to a great team effort, Knicks fans will get to watch basketball next week. So, let’s take a closer look at the performances.
The Knicks starters get a gem from Randle
Jalen Brunson: 12 PTS (5/9 FG, 2/5 3PT, 0/1 FT), 7 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL, 2 TO in 34 mins
Jalen Brunson didn’t struggle but took a backseat on the offense. He spread the ball well and created opportunities for teammates to the tune of 7 assists. I’d be curious how many additional open looks he set up that weren’t converted. His passing replaced scoring for the night as New York’s point guard rarely pressed for his offense.
Brunson remained efficient from the field, so it wasn’t Charlotte’s defense stifling the point guard. He knocked down threes and found spots on the floor to attack at his choosing. But his low field goal and free-throw attempts indicate his lack of aggression as a shooter. Other players were heating up, and Brunson fed them.
I’ll also throw a shoutout to Brunson’s defense. With Grimes on Terry Rozier, New York’s diminutive point guard had to pick up one of the sizeable wings from Charlotte. He handled the match-up fine and even snuck into passing lanes for some steals. Even without scoring, Brunson picks up a 3 out of 5 for his strong night.
Quentin Grimes: 6 PTS (2/4 FG, 2/3 3PT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 TO in 19 mins
I’m encouraged by Quentin Grimes’ play despite the forgettable numbers he produced. Grimes knocked down his jumpers, which was a welcome sight. He attacked off the dribble some, though he missed a shot at the rim and turned the ball over on a lob attempt. I wasn’t upset at the mishaps because at least he was attacking.
Grimes’ defense was great as well. Terry Rozier has been a 20 PPG scorer for the past few years, but Grimes held Scary Terry to 11 points on 5/16 shooting. New York’s most recent first-rounder is starting to heat up, and I see a flow to his offense that had been missing until now. Grimes gets a 2.5 out of 5 for the promising performance.
RJ Barrett: 16 PTS (3/13 FG, 1/4 3PT, 9/9 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 28 mins
RJ Barrett couldn’t get much offense going. He got plenty of open looks, but his jumper wasn’t falling. Barrett salvaged his scoring with trips to the free-throw line, but that came with some forced shots at the rim as he hunted for whistles. The prospect seemed too busy chasing the charity stripe to focus on finishing through contact at times, which is unfortunate because he had a couple of excellent finishes.
Barrett’s 2 assists don’t do his passing justice. He whipped a few cross-court passes for hockey assists and made quick reads to get the ball to teammates. It’s not enough to cover for his 3/13 night, but the passing did make up for some of his struggles from the field.
I’ll also repeat that Broadway Barrett’s defense is his most significant improvement over last season. His jumper has come back down to Earth, but he is defending far better than last season. RJ is using passing and defense to compensate for poor shooting nights, a welcome sign of growth. Barrett gets a 2 out of 5 for an off night.
Julius Randle: 25 PTS (8/15 FG, 2/7 3PT, 7/8 FT), 5 AST, 20 REB, 2 STL, 4 TO in 34 mins
Julius Randle scored early and often. His aggressive start helped the team jump out to a lead. Then, when the lead began to slip, Randle’s effort led the team offense back on track. He outmuscled and outworked the Hornets for several nice finishes in the paint.
Randle’s rebounding was as good as his scoring. He grabbed some challenging boards in crowds with the same power that helped him score at the rim. To top it off, he passed the ball well and continued to look for Mitchell Robinson in the post…he’s the only one that does that consistently.
My one complaint for Randle is that his closeouts have been terrible for the past few weeks. He watched Miles Bridges and PJ Washington fire away from three and never showed a sense of urgency to stop them. That’s easy to forgive when he scores and rebounds well, but on off nights, that defensive failing can be brutal. Randle gets a 4.5 out of 5 for 25 and 20 night.
Mitchell Robinson: 6 PTS (3/6 FG), 10 REB, 2 STL, 6 BLK, 4 TO in 33 mins
Mitchell Robinson played one of his most interesting games of the season. His defensive play was fantastic; he mixed several blocks with a few deflections and steals. Mitch managed to block shots from every angle. He swatted players that faced up, snuck up behind players while trailing the action, and added an off-hand block.
But where things got interesting was in Robinson’s assertive offense. Julius Randle fed Mitch in the post, and Robinson went for it. He attacked off the dribble and almost got a behind-the-back move off but fumbled it on the gather. Mitch attacked the glass as usual, but seeing him try something extra was fun, even if he turned the rock over.
We got a typical Robinson performance outside of the momentary And-One mixtape action. Typical means great when it comes to Mitch this season. He gets a 4 out of 5 for setting the defensive tone.
New York’s second unit dominates the action
Immanuel Quickley: 23 PTS (9/20 FG, 4/10 3PT, 1/1 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 TO in 26 mins
Immanuel Quickley continues to be a revelation off New York’s bench. He feels less like the streaky player from previous seasons and more like a reliable nightly contributor. Against Charlotte, IQ seemed comfortable getting any shot he wanted, so he attacked. Quick attacked with hesitations, off-hand trickery, and pull-up jumpers when the defense dropped off. He left defenders looking frustrated at times and silly at others; nobody looked good trying to stop Quick.
Quickley’s defense was as good as his scoring. That might surprise you since IQ didn’t pick up any steals or blocks. But it’s uncanny how often Quickley hedges at the right time or leaves his man at the perfect time to help a teammate. Quick takes risks, but his instinct makes those risky plays worthwhile.
I’m tempted to give Quickley the game ball even over Julius Randle. IQ provided a two-way performance that nobody else could match. I give Randle an edge because he sparked the team in two key moments, but Quickley played basketball that well. Quick gets a 4.5 out of 5 for a game that’s even better than his numbers suggest.
Donte DiVincenzo: 6 PTS (2/8 FG, 2/6 3PT), 2 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 19 mins
Donte DiVincenzo had an off-shooting night. He missed his shots at the rim and bricked more open looks than he sank. One of his three-pointers came with the Hornets garbage-time unit on the floor.
Luckily, Donte always finds other ways to help. His defensive effort was reliable, and he moved the ball well despite a lack of assists on his stat line. But there’s not much else to offer after DiVo’s quiet night. He gets a 1.5 out of 5 for poor shooting.
Josh Hart: 17 PTS (7/10 FG, 2/3 3PT, 1/1 FT), 2 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 30 mins
Josh Hart caused a stir with comments in the Athletic when he mentioned struggling to get into a rhythm. Hart may have wanted to prove that he’s “not disgruntled” because he came out as aggressive as we’ve seen all season. The result was his best game of the season, filled with nice finishes, fading midrange jumpers, and a pair of threes.
Hart brought the ball up a few times, though he quickly swung the ball as fast as he crossed midcourt. It’s the only change to his touches that I could point to. But something flipped a switch because Hart never hesitated with his touches. I wonder if his comments to the Athletic prompted a broader discussion with teammates about what would help him.
Regardless of the cause, Hart played his best game of the season. He finally matched his impact from last season. It’s the same Hart we’ve grown accustomed to but with more efficacy everywhere. The sparkplug off the bench gets a 3.5 out of 5 for his purposeful play.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 4 PTS (2/3 FG), 2 AST, 6 REB in 14 mins
I remember thinking, “Isaiah Hartenstein’s having a quiet game” during the second half of action. Of course, quiet isn’t synonymous with bad. I-Hart produced solid numbers for less than 15 minutes of play, but Hartenstein’s fantastic rate of production has spoiled me. So he played well, and I caught myself sleeping on the impact.
All of that is to say, I-Hart had a good game, but limited minutes made it easy to miss. He’s playing well, especially with his minutes cut due to Mitchell Robinson’s ascension. Hartenstein gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a productive 15 minutes.
Tom Thibodeau must love the In-Season Tournament
Load management be damned. Tom Thibodeau got to play his starters well past the point of this game being decided. With other teams winning by huge margins, every point counted in this game. So, not only did Thibodeau get to keep his starters running with a 20-point lead late, but it was a correct and necessary move. The tournament forced a lot of coaches to adjust by being more aggressive, but this feels like Thibodeau’s ballpark!
Closing Thoughts
I have a confession. I thought the In-Season Tournament was a bad idea. The schedule made the Knicks’ lives hell during the first couple of weeks of the season, and now they’ll play the Bucks one more game than they should have to. This wonky schedule is even making my fantasy basketball teams more work to manage. But the Knicks making the wildcard has completely turned me.
I watched the Knicks up by 20 points with five minutes left, and I cheered harder than ever when Immanuel Quickley started firing from deep. I hung on to every point and was just as locked in when the Bucks and Heat finished their game. The tournament turned me from a hater to a supporter overnight.
The Bucks are next in single-elimination action. This is a chance at revenge after the Bucks defeated New York in their first In-Season Tournament game. I wonder if Brunson was saving some gas for a chance to attack Damian Lillard next. We’ll see if the Knicks can keep their tournament run going next time. I’ll see you then, Knicks fam!
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