The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-81, propelled by a breakout night from Immanuel Quickley who shot lights out.
Defense led the way as the New York Knicks returned home and to the win column. Both teams started the game flat, but the Knicks got a huge boost from their back-up backcourt. Despite some periods of stagnation, the Knicks maintained control by shutting down the Cavs. New York’s pressure held Cleveland to just 33 points in the first half which meant a comfortable lead throughout most of the night.
The backcourt combination of IQ and Rivers helped spark the energy in both halves, with Quickley leading all scorers on the night. The typical leaders also contributed as both Julius Randle and RJ Barrett made crucial contributions. The rest of the crew had ups and downs, but this was a feel-good win for all after a difficult road trip. Let’s see how each player performed.
A slow start for the first five Knicks
Elfrid Payton: Recent struggles for Elfrid Payton failed to give way against the Cavs. He struggled against yet another frequent zone defense and failed to produce in his significant minutes. He can’t get his own offense going and poor spacing limited his efficacy as a playmaker as well. The IQ effect magnified Payton’s struggles. Offensive stagnation turned around seemingly as soon as Immanuel Quickley replaced Payton on the floor.
In his 23 minutes of action, Payton put up 2 points, 3 assists to 2 turnovers, 1 rebound and 1 steal. He shot 1/6 from the field and 0/1 from three. At this point, he’s hardly even trying to shoot three’s but also ineffective inside. Having a point guard miss inside carries the added burden of making transition counter attacks that much easier.
The performance warrants a 1.5 out of 5, if only because Payton had a strong night defensively. Colin Sexton has been a monster lately, carving through defenses. Payton helped contain him for 17 points on 18 attempts. Nothing else went well though. Payton remains the obvious choice for change to improve the starting unit.
Alec Burks: It looked like Alec Burks might still have tired legs from the road trip, but he cut his attempts to remain efficient. Burks has been coming up short on threes since the Jazz game, but against Utah he forced the issue. With Cleveland, he took on more of a secondary role. That meant a quiet night for the shooting guard but an efficient one as well.
Burks finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist on 3/5 from the field and 1/2 from three in 24 minutes. He generated opportunities within the flow of the offense. His off-ball threat also meant plenty of space for others to operate. Burks flashed some clever passing that didn’t register on the box score. He found Randle with space inside the zone defense on a few occasions.
Quietly effective is the best way to categorize Burks’ night. He was picky about his attack, leading to limited but good production. He’s still adjusting to a starting role with Randle and Barrett who both need touches. Those two will draw plenty of attention. Burks will be the most likely beneficiary.
RJ Barrett: While the rest of the starters were either quiet or struggling, RJ Barrett was the piece that kept the unit’s offense afloat. Barrett attacked the undersized Darius Garland inside whenever New York needed momentum. It proved effective the whole way. He also looked comfortable taking jump shots, knocking down multiple three’s and a pull-up mid-range J.
Logging 40 minutes of play, Barrett produced 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals with 3 turnovers. The Maple Mamba shot 8/19 from the field, 2/5 from three and 6/7 from the free throw line. His shooting has truly turned around over the past couple of weeks. RJ may not have had the most efficient night, but he produced in a variety of ways. He’s been one of the Knicks’ best transition players of late as well.
With a tone setting performance, Barrett grabs a 3 out of 5. RJ’s workman-like approach wore down the defense and found holes at opportune times. He also played an important role in the Knicks’ defense. One of the keys to success defensively was disruptive hands in the passing lanes. RJ played a key role there. The youngster is becoming a force on a nightly basis.
Julius Randle: I’ve probably touched on this concept one too many times already, but discipline has set this season apart from the rest of Julius Randle’s career. The big man faced a lot of attention inside and sprayed the ball around instead of forcing shots even when other players weren’t scoring. When seams in the offense or mismatches appeared, Randle exploded into action and produced.
A quiet night for Randle still means 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a block with 2 turnovers. He hit those marks on 7/13 from the field, 0/2 from three and 2/3 from the free throw line in 35 minutes. Randle’s worst defensive moment of the season may have come when he threw a pass behind RJ Barrett and then failed to hustle back in transition. He made up for that in the second half with a chase down block on Cedi Osman in a similar transition situation.
The Knicks’ best player gets a 3.5 out of 5 for his solid numbers across the board. Randle’s reliability has lasted a quarter of a season now. Games like this Cavs one show a readiness to sacrifice scoring and touches for the good of the team. He’s earned every allstar hashtag he gets, so let’s tweet until this man is representing the Knicks for the Eastern Conference.
Mitchell Robinson: Although Mitchell Robinson had offensive struggles and frustration, the most important aspect of his game remained intact. Robinson got himself in a bit of foul trouble by setting moving screens of all things. He was hardly utilized as a roll man, although there were some chances that ball handlers failed to see or take advantage of. He still put a stamp on the game by finally containing Andre Drummond. Drummond dominated the previous match-ups between the two big men but was limited to 4 points on 7 attempts in the Knicks victory.
With 22 minutes to work, Mitch finished at 6 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He shot 2/3 from the field and 2/2 from the free throw line. The big man picked up two turnovers on illegal screens and those fouls cut his second half short. Both fouls came after he was conspicuously limping in the second quarter, though it’s hard to pin them on mobility issues since Mitch seemed to be moving alright. The important part of his game was the defense and he was a presence at all times on that end.
Mitch just ekes out a 2.5 out of 5 for putting clamps on Andre Drummond and visibly improving the Knicks’ rebounding. Nerlens Noel deserves a lot of praise for stepping up against Cleveland. But the Knicks look like a better team on the glass with Robinson. He’s become much more aware of his box outs which means less personal rebounding but a Robin Lopez like effect on teammates.
Quivers ignites the New York Knicks’ second unit
Immanuel Quickley: The man of the hour was Immanuel Quickley. IQ was unstoppable behind the three-point line, knocking down jumpers off the dribble and even through contact. The rookie seemed determined to net a four-point play, making three’s in little space. He used the added attention on the perimeter to blow by defenders as well. That gifted us with floaters and the posterization of Jarrett Allen. But the standout feature for Quickley was his three-point shooting. Maybe Damian Lillard should call more often.
IQ spent 25 minutes terrorizing the Cavs to the tune of 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists to 2 turnovers. He did so on 9/17 from the field, 5/8 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. My favorite play for his night was actually an assist. Quickley was in the midst of making 5 consecutive shots. He got the ball with space to shoot a three, pump faked to get a step on his defender instead. That turned into an alley-oop finish for Nerlens Noel.
Quickley gets a 4 out of 5 for being the catalyst in both halves. He was elusive as a Trae Young or a Steph Curry in this one, with the three-point shooting to match. IQ’s ability to jockey from three-point shooter to slashing scorer to playmaking ball handler had the Cavs off-balance whenever he was out there. It wasn’t just a brilliant performance, this was a rookie of the year kind of game.
Austin Rivers: Austin Rivers struggled to find his jumper all game long. The combo guard still managed to give the Knicks’ offense a shot in the arm by driving into the paint and doing damage. He also provided a steady dose of disruption on defense, playing the passing lanes and digging in on help opportunities to bother ball handlers. He made for a perfect one-two punch as he paired with Quickley and followed Burks’ more restrained approach with a more aggressive brand of attack.
Rivers rocked for 24 minutes and shot 6/11 from the field and 1/6 from three. He was perfect inside the three-point line. The scorer stuffed his stat-sheet across the board with 13 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals while only turning it over once. He shot poorly from range but the frequent threat to fire helped him fly by defenders for points inside. It helps that he knocked down his only made three early. That kept defenders honest even after he started missing.
With an efficient scoring night despite the shooting woes, Rivers nets a 2.5 out of 5. His partnership with Immanuel Quickley really paid dividends in this performance. While IQ stole the show with shooting, Rivers made some circus shots in the lane. Quickley was fun to watch pressing up on ball handlers, Rivers was doing his damage off-ball on defense. They had synergy that really drove the Knicks’ momentum. While the focus will fall on IQ’s big night, Rivers deserves plenty of props.
Kevin Knox: The vanishing of Kevin Knox continues as he played just 8 minutes and managed nothing but a single rebound in that time. He didn’t shoot or do much of significance. At this point, Knox’s rotation place might be in jeopardy as his minutes are dwindling.
Obi Toppin: With 13 minutes of action, Obi Toppin is creeping toward the 15-minute mark where he’ll start registering some performance scores from me. The slow but steady increase in minutes belies that while Obi is a mixed bag so far, we’re seeing signs of comfort developing. The rookie is starting to flash. He’s looking more fluid when he shoots, starting to make the most of space in face-up situations and makes at least one eye opening pass per night.
Obi put up 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block on 2/4 from the field and 1/3 from three. He turned one of those rebounds into a beauty of an outlet pass although it didn’t turn into points. We’re barely scratching the surface with Toppin’s prospects as a player, but I see a clear foundation that Thibs and company can build on. Watch for the game to start slowing down a bit for the rookie. He’ll have some true outbursts soon.
Nerlens Noel: Before I get to praising Noel for a well-played game, I need to get this out. Nerlens Noel has hands like Orlando Jones in the Replacements. The big man did a fantastic job filling in for Mitch, playing more minutes than the starting center and keeping the defense just as effective. But he still managed to bobble a pass and knock a loose ball out of bounds when there was no opposition nearby to rush him. He really did play well though.
Noel got more minutes than his starting counterpart at center, 25 in total. He locked in 4 points, 6 rebounds, a block, and a turnover in that time. Noel shot 1/2 from the field and 2/2 from the free throw line. The big man didn’t do anything crazy on the stat sheet, but Tom Thibodeau’s defense has put a lot of weight on its anchors inside. Noel stood in for Mitchell Robinson and kept everything rolling besides a slight dip for the team on the glass.
Noel matches Mitch for impact grade, 2.5 out of 5. Both bigs brought defensive impact that can’t be measured by box tallies. They also both had some obvious mistakes between Mitchell’s screen turnovers and Noel’s shoddy grip. I stress this often, but Noel’s impact is understated because the Knicks don’t look much different when he replaces Robinson. But that’s a major compliment with how important Mitch has been. It’s also notable that Noel led all bench players in +/-.
Existential questions about garbage time with the New York Knicks coach
Tom Thibodeau: The Knicks continue to compete, and Tom Thibodeau even managed to split bench and starter minutes more effectively. Thibs managed to turn a slow start into momentum by getting some bench pieces in early and riding those hot hands to success. In the first quarter when both teams struggled on offense, it was New York that started to let frustration leak into their defense. Thibs got Quickley and Noel on the floor fast. The move returned results almost immediately. He found his sparks in both halves despite continuing to start a group of players that are susceptible to the zone defense.
Thibs was far from perfect though. Outside of the starting unit having an Achilles Heel that no one even has to scout to recognize anymore, Thibs also doesn’t appear to believe in garbage. He could have gotten Randle and Barrett a few minutes of rest at the end of the night but a double-digit lead and the Cavs’ bench entering had no impact on Thibs’ mindset. That has a doubly negative impact on an otherwise feel-good night. Not only do Randle and RJ pick-up unnecessary minutes on overworked legs, but Knox and Obi miss out on extra time to get some reps without the pressure of a close game.
Thibs grabs a 3 out of 5 for the 21-point blowout. I feel like that might be low, but I can’t let go of this garbage time issue. The Knicks have a lot of young players that could use time to grow. They also have two stars that are among the league leaders in minutes played. Everyone would benefit from Thibs giving guys a break when the game is out of hand anyway. That said, my gripe doesn’t erase that Knicks continue to play hard and the players who do get times are increasingly showing chemistry…so those extra minutes do carry benefit as everybody is gelling despite a lot of moving parts.
Closing Thoughts: There was a “home sweet home” vibe to this entire performance. Maybe that was just me enjoying a Knicks game night that didn’t leave me sleep deprived after the West Coast stanza. But the Knicks just appeared to be really poised. Julius Randle barely shot early, but never looked frustrated. RJ Barrett was methodic in taking advantage of his defensive mismatches. It never felt like the Cavs were much threat. A dominant defense will do that for you.
I’ve waxed poetic about how these players fight night-in and night-out far too often. Let’s take a brief look beyond the roster. The Knicks are in an interesting position. They’re clinging to a post-season spot right now without having to make any changes. Leon Rose could look to add a piece to sure up that position, but he’s also got an incredibly young roster with cap space and draft picks as is. He could try to bring in a stud like Beal or LaVine for a big price or spend a bit less to draw in a new PG like Ball or Rose. But staying the course could end with a playoff position AND a lottery pick that comes from the Mavs.
The Knicks are in an incredibly enviable position right now. They have a ton of promise without making a move. New York is on the verge and Leon Rose has every chip at his disposal to chart the course forward. I’d caution against focusing too much on shiny toys from other rosters though.
Let’s just appreciate the heart and soul that this Knicks squad is exuding. We could have something special, patience has been rewarded all year long. Let’s enjoy what we have and if changes happen you can follow along with me and the rest of the KFTV family as we watch it all unfold!
