The New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 114-109. Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, and Isaiah Hartenstein led the way!
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The New York Knicks took a gritty victory over the Los Angeles Lakers 114 to 109. The win pushes them to 2-2 on their West Coast trip, leaving them in 5th place in the Eastern Conference.
Julius Randle set the tone early in a game whose physicality seemed tailor-made for Randle’s overpowering style. Isaiah Hartenstein shined in extra minutes due to an injury to Jericho Sims, and Immanuel Quickley provided a scoring punch off the bench. But the Lakers fought hard, taking a lead into halftime and keeping things close throughout the action. Jalen Brunson’s star shined brightest in clutch time as he sealed the deal with a big fourth quarter.
The Knicks turned in one of the season’s best performances: a hardnosed, defense-focused victory. Let’s zoom in on the performances of each individual.
New York’s stars lead the way for the starters
Jalen Brunson: 29 PTS (10/21 FG, 3/6 3PT, 6/6 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 37 mins
Jalen Brunson looked like an all-star as he led the Knicks in scoring en route to victory—his scoring balanced shooting, finishing inside, and free-throws in near-perfect synchronicity. The Lakers could take away the lane, and Brunson would shoot, or they could crowd him, and he’d fly past them or draw whistles. Even in crunch time, LA couldn’t find an answer to slowing down the Knicks’ star.
The only downside to Brunson’s performance was some inexplicable turnovers. He mishandled the ball on several occasions, including down the stretch. Those mistakes never outweighed his scoring, but he’s close to 4 TOs a game over the past five games, which is uncharacteristic.
But turnovers aside, New York’s star played a fantastic game. He kept pace with Anthony Davis’ scoring and helped guide New York to a challenging but comfortable victory. Brunson gets a 4 out of 5 for his outstanding play.
Donte DiVincenzo: 8 PTS (3/5 FG, 2/4 3PT), 3 AST, 1 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 19 mins
It didn’t take many touches for Donte DiVincenzo to have a positive impact. He launched a deep three-pointer early in the action and made his presence felt in a myriad of ways. DiVo shot sparingly but made his looks count as he clocked 8 points in only 5 attempts.
DiVo’s impact stood out defensively, as he timed some clever double-teams and deflected a few passes. His help defense from off-ball meant that he could impact opposing ball handlers even without defending the point-of-attack (POA) directly. That’s important because POA defense has been a glaring weakness since Grimes left the starting line-up.
This wasn’t a tremendous performance, but it was a perfect example of how a player can create positive impacts without direct involvement in every play. DiVo’s limited touches didn’t sap his energy or effort. He gets a 3 out of 5 for making solid contributions everywhere.
RJ Barrett: 12 PTS (3/10 FG, 0/2 3PT, 6/6 FT), 4 AST, 5 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 30 mins
RJ Barrett began the night by driving into Anthony Davis and getting blocked twice. The blocks set the tone for a night of laborious scoring against quality shot blockers while his jumper wouldn’t fall.
But credit to Barrett; he didn’t force shots like he had a few nights ago. The young scorer became a more aggressive passer, leading to some nice assists and passes that were deflected or nearly turned over. I can live with a player who makes the proper passes, even if his passing accuracy could be improved.
It was nice to see Barrett embrace physicality without forcing shots or pressing the issue. He didn’t have a good game as a scorer, but he contributed in other areas to make up for it–4 assists, 5 rebounds, and a solid defensive effort are everything we’re looking for from nights when his shot won’t fall. RJ ekes out a 2.5 out of 5 despite his tough shooting night.
Julius Randle: 27 PTS (12/22 FG, 1/4 3PT, 2/2 FT), 3 AST, 14 REB, 2 TO in 43 mins
Julius Randle overpowered the Lakers almost as soon as the game started. His post-play is nearly unstoppable this season, as no one on the Lakers could contain his strength. Whether it was Cam Reddish, Lebron James, or Anthony Davis in front of Randle, the big man bumped them for space and finished. He punished double-teams with quick passes, making him unstoppable outside of some ill-fated three-pointers.
Randle’s rebounding can sneak under the radar at times. But this wasn’t one of those games. With Anthony Davis running amok at times, Randle’s ability to fly in and snatch rebounds out of other players’ hands felt necessary. The Lakers played a physical game, and Julius matched them every step of the way.
Brunson led the Knicks in scoring, but Randle was their best player. His gravity keyed the entire offense, and defensive issues didn’t hamper his performance. The big man is well on his way to another fantastic season for the orange and blue. Randle gets a 4.5 out of 5 for his outsized impact on the win.
Jericho Sims: 0 PTS in 3 mins
Jericho Sims landed on Anthony Davis’ foot, jumping for the opening tip. He continued playing for a few minutes but clearly wasn’t moving well, leaving the game injured.
The Knicks’ second unit finds two huge contributors
Immanuel Quickley: 20 PTS (8/15 FG, 3/7 3PT, 1/1 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 29 mins
There are nights when Immanuel Quickley makes scoring look easy. He shoots with impunity, drives fearlessly, and sneaks a few clever passes into the mix to keep defenders off balance. That’s IQ’s performance against the Lakers in a nutshell. He didn’t do much playmaking for others, but that’s because he scored at will.
IQ’s defensive play recently got back on track after some uncharacteristic struggles. He was back to anticipating passes and deflecting loose balls in the process. He stepped in to challenge shots and kept his own assignments from scoring while helping teammates effectively.
Quickley forced his way to extra minutes in this one. He scored a point per minute for the first 15 minutes that he played and provided just as much defense. The only thing standing in the way of another Sixth Man of the Year push is the logjam of wings on this roster. IQ gets a 3.5 out of 5 for keying the bench offense.
Quentin Grimes: 3 PTS (1/5 FG, 1/4 3PT), 2 AST, 1 STL in 11 mins
Quentin Grimes struggled to hit his open looks, which meant his minutes were cut. That doesn’t mean his performance was all bad, though. He tried to attack in transition and off the dribble, leading to a few excellent passing sequences even if he never scored inside the arc. Grimes’ defense was stellar as usual, but it would require more time to leap off the screen truly.
With IQ running hot and DiVo playing well, there weren’t enough minutes to go around. Grimes was the odd man out because his shot wasn’t falling, but he still looked more comfortable than he did with the starters.
Josh Hart: 6 PTS (2/6 FG, 0/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 1 BLK, 3 TO in 22 mins
Josh Hart didn’t get much going offensively. His best looks were open shots from three, where his inconsistency as a shooter hampered success. But Hart still brought enough energy to make positive things happy. His penchant for rebounds and quick transitions led to one of the best passes of the night.
The play above typifies Josh Hart’s on-court impact. He didn’t score or even touch the offensive side of the floor, but he still produced a rebound and a pass for quick points. He’s an instant injection of pace to the floor and often does more than his stat-line might suggest. However, I do take issue with his 3 turnovers, which are too many.
Hart’s performance was okay but not great. He brought many intangibles that made him valuable but lacked the extra push into high-value territory. This was good enough for his bench role, but it makes sense that his minutes were trimmed down. He gets a 2 out of 5, with room to improve.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 9 PTS (3/4 FG, 3/6 FT), 2 AST, 17 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 39 mins
Once Jericho Sims left the game, Isaiah Hartenstein became indispensable. The only other option at center was Taj Gibson, who had barely been with the team for a week. I-Hart accepted the challenge and passed with flying colors. Hartenstein battled with Anthony Davis, struggling to contain the superstar but managing to outpace him on the glass and nearly matching the entire Lakers team in offensive rebounding.
While I-Hart couldn’t do much to stop Anthony Davis’ jumpers from close range, Hartenstein protected the rim from would-be dunkers. He blocked a pair of shots and got hands on some of Davis’ post-up attempts for steals. Hartenstein’s defensive presence remained positive despite his difficult match-up.
My only downside for this performance is that Hartenstein shot free throws about as poorly as Mitchell Robinson. New York could use better free-throw shooting from its bigs. But that’s a minor quibble after a colossal performance from I-Hart at a time when it was desperately needed. Hartenstein grabs a 4 out of 5 for setting a career-high in rebounding.
Taj Gibson: 0 PTS, 3 REB, 1 TO in 6 mins
Taj Gibson filled in with spot minutes due to Jericho Sims’ absence. He didn’t get enough time to stand out, but his spot duty emphasized why Leon Rose added an insurance policy at center.
Tom Thibodeau tightens his rotation minutes for the win
Tom Thibodeau has never been known to cut players’ minutes short. But his plethora of wings have all seen dips in their playing time compared to last season. That made it refreshing to watch Immanuel Quickley get extended minutes while his shot was falling. More than any of Thibs’ prior Knick teams, this roster requires more in-game adjustments and less rigid adherence to a formulaic rotation.
Thibodeau didn’t have much to do beyond managing minutes. There weren’t any significant challenges to be made or major adjustments required. He let the right guys stay on the floor and gave quick hooks to players who weren’t feeling it. It was a good night for Thibs.
Closing Thoughts
The Knicks are finally piecing together impressive wins over quality competition. It’s even sweeter that this happened during a West Coast trip. The West has traditionally been where Knick seasons go to bottom out. This time, New York rose to the occasion and made it worth staying up to watch.
We’re two-thirds through December, and the Knicks have held up despite a nightmarish schedule. Things only get tougher with a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks coming up, but New York has proven itself formidable. They still need to improve to compete with the top teams, but they’re firmly in the second tier.
The Brooklyn Nets are next, which means a home game, even if it’s listed away. That feels like a needed win because the Bucks and Thunder follow. We’ll see how our favorite hoopers handle the action and meet back here to discuss. See you next time, Knicks fam!
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