The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 121-109. A much-needed win with promising performances from RJ Barrett and the new lineup.
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The New York Knicks broke a 3-game losing streak by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 121 to 109. A second change to New York’s starting line-up (and a matchup against a lesser opponent) seemed to spark everyone as the Knicks shot 47 percent from the field and from three-point range. The offense and ball movement felt balanced while the defense was sharp despite some slip-ups. Nevertheless, the Knicks controlled this game even when things were close early.
RJ Barrett seemed galvanized by Tom Thibodeau’s comments and an intense practice recently. Mitchell Robinson looked energized with a move to the bench, where he and everyone else in the second unit were thriving. This game was refreshing after last week’s brutal stretch. Let’s see how the Knicks responded to struggles and took a promising step forward.
RJ Barrett responds for the Knicks’ starters:
Alec Burks: 18 PTS (6/15 FG, 3/8 3 PT, 3/3 FT), 5 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 36 mins
Alec Burks put together a nice performance that felt well-balanced within the offense despite the second-most attempts on the team. The keys are that Burks made his shots at long range and added enough free throws to pick up his scoring total despite 40 percent shooting from the field. He also struck a near perfect balance between long range tries and attacks off the dribble. The diversity helped boost his shot-selection into helpful territory despite his misses.
Burks also tapped the periphery stats in a manner that helps. I blasted the fact that New York’s starting point guard put up a goose egg in the assist column last game. In this one, Burks was quick to make a swing pass or kick-out when the defense leaned too far in his direction. He didn’t have to make complicated reads or play floor general, just making the easy pass was enough to chip in.
Field goal percentage aside, this is the kind of game you want out of Burks. He played within himself while putting enough pressure on the defense to demand attention. He’s still a pretty obvious combo guard rather than point, so I’d prefer one of the more point-centric players off the bench eat into that 36 minutes total though. Burks picks up a 3 out of 5 for a team-helping performance.
RJ Barrett: 32 PTS (11/20 FG, 7/8 3 PT, 3/4 FT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 39 mins
Responding to adversity has always been a strength of RJ Barrett. His first two seasons included slumps and struggles that were followed by big bounce-back performances. Barrett broke out of a long, troublesome slump against San Antonio with a career-high in threes. The third-year prospect was back to looking like a star in the making. He knocked down long-range tries and finished inside (at least early) for his best scoring performance arguably of the season.
Tom Thibodeau’s call out of RJ was magnified by the lens of the New York beat and an extra day off for the players. But it was also followed by what appeared to be a focused effort to involve Barrett. The young prospect got feature touches often and played with an aggression that was lacking in some recent games. Whether it was Thibs’ comments, extra touches and play-calls, or just the fact that a few shots fell early; Barrett had an extra bounce to his step.
The performance wasn’t spotless, though. Barrett had some defensive lapses, a couple of turnovers, and could do better than a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio while shooting so often. But those issues were dwarfed by the scoring, the steals, and the rebounding that Barrett provided. He was focused and fired up with a statement game for anyone demanding the 21-year old be traded. RJ locks in a team-high 4 out of 5 for his night.
Evan Fournier: 7 PTS (3/8 FG, 1/6 3 PT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 2 TO in 21 mins
With so many players rolling, someone had to take a step back. That wound up being Evan Fournier, who saw a dip in minutes and production thanks in large part to a poor shooting night. Fournier did knock down a three-pointer and a long two in succession during the third quarter, but he didn’t get frequent enough touches to build on that success. He was relegated to a background piece and floor spacer for most of his time.
That’s not to say Fournier did nothing right. His ability to get shots off quickly and from all sorts of angles is always helpful. Gravity is the keyword here as players like RJ Barrett are afforded extra space because defenders know not to leave Fournier open. The French wing’s numbers were light, but his presence can help beyond scoring numbers.
But I’m being charitable by complimenting a forgettable performance. Fournier is the 18-million-dollar man (eat your heart out Ted Dibiase). He wasn’t brought in to stand on the wing while everyone else does the work. He’ll need to make more shots count if the touches and attempts are limited. Fournier gets a 2 out of 5, a solid backup performance score in backup minutes.
Julius Randle: 15 PTS (5/12 FG, 3/8 3 PT, 3/3 FT), 8 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK in 35 mins
I’ll take this version of Julius Randle over the one from the Denver Nuggets game any day. Randle scored less and only tallied one more assist than he did during a 24-point game against the Nuggets, but none of his 15 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds felt forced. Instead, Randle took his time and let plays develop organically for most of the first half. He turned it up in the third quarter when New York began to lag, knocking down a couple of threes and then hitting more timely buckets in the fourth.
Randle’s game wasn’t predicated on hammering the defense every time down. Instead, he moved the ball around and waited for proper spacing to attack defenders in post-ups. It helped that his jumper was falling both from long range and on some mid-range jumpers along the baseline. This felt like last year’s Randle despite a smaller portion of the scoring.
Then there’s his defense! I harped on Randle’s lazy defensive play last time out because it took away from a good offensive game. This time around, Randle was locked in from the opening tip. His rotations looked crisper, his man defense was on point, and we didn’t see Randle get beaten back on defense. He was a two-way player and that’s why this performance felt more valuable than a statistically better night last time. Randle picks up a 3.5 out of 5 for a strong game.
Nerlens Noel: 2 PTS (1/1 FG), 3 AST, 9 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 26 mins
Nerlens Noel had a weird night, but not uncharacteristic. He barely scored but didn’t miss. He hustled to loose-balls and rebounds, turning broken plays into second chances or easy looks. But we also saw at least three examples of bad hands that have plagued the shot blocker since he’s been a Knick.
I know this is beating a dead horse, but Noel’s performances generally look better to the eye than they do to the scorekeeper. That’s because he provides defense and effort in the intangible ways that you feel but can’t tally. To that end, I’d say this was closer to Noel’s mid than his peaks. The Spurs did more finishing inside than I’m used to seeing from teams against the Knicks with Noel anchoring the middle.
I don’t think this was a bad performance, but it wasn’t Noel’s best. He did a lot of the hard work that we’ve come to appreciate but also whiffed on some passes and even opportunities to challenge scorers. That said, I think his performance looks weaker by comparison because Mitchell Robinson was great as the backup. This isn’t a performance to complain about, but we all know that Noel can be better thanks to last year. Noel grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for a decidedly average performance.
Everyone puts on for the Knicks’ bench:
Derrick Rose: 12 PTS (4/11 FG, 2/2 3 PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 22 mins
Derrick Rose looked good but also felt like he didn’t have to overwork himself. Everyone else off the bench was cooking and that allowed Rose to pick his spots to attack and trust his teammates otherwise. That meant perfect shooting from three and solid production without any gaudy numbers on the stat sheet. Rose didn’t stand out, but that’s not because he had a bad game.
Instead, it felt like Rose was letting the hot hands work. That meant letting Immanuel Quickley push the pace or allowing Obi Toppin and Mitch to work inside and mop up the threes that couldn’t connect. I especially liked that Rose found his big men for easy looks early and then IQ emulated those passes later. Rose felt like a security blanket for the youngsters to work freely while knowing they could always turn to the vet if needed.
Even in a restrained performance, Rose had a couple of highlights on his forays inside. He still played respectable defense and the team’s pace was always faster with him out there. The former MVP didn’t press or take over because he didn’t have to. He still made teammates better and I always feel some relief when I see Rose at the scorer’s table. He represents stability even in this season of highs and lows. Rose gets a 3 out of 5 for his performance.
Immanuel Quickley: 16 PTS (5/12, 2/8 3 PT, 4/4 FT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 1 STL in 26 mins
Immanuel Quickley had another strong performance, and my favorite part wasn’t the scoring. IQ’s pace and passing were fun to watch, even if he only clocked a pair of assists. I especially enjoyed watching Quickley mimic Derrick Rose by lobbing entry passes to big men with size advantages. It’s a simple play but one that point guards need to be able to identify and complete.
That’s not to say the sophomore guard’s scoring wasn’t fun. He knocked down three’s, hit a turn-around at midrange, and worked his way inside for finishes and free throws. Quickley seems to play at a different rhythm from everyone else. He keeps defenders off balance with unpredictable shots, speed changes, and now dimes as well.
The wild part is that IQ’s three-point shooting seemed a touch off. His shot selection is always a little risky, but Quickley missed a few shots that he normally knocks down. His offense is clicking in so many places that he can get away with a bit of off shooting and still come away with an efficient night. Quickley nets a 3.5 out of 5 for picking up the pace.
Obi Toppin: 8 PTS (4/6 FG, 0/1 3 PT), 3 REB in 13 mins
If you’re familiar with my recaps, you know that I’m pulling my hair out over another sub-15-minute night for Obi Toppin. Obi came in, outran everybody, and was a frequent target for guards to push the pace. At one point, the guards were so busy trying to find Toppin on the run that the game went into chaos with turnovers and tough passes being the result…maybe that’s Thibs’ excuse for not finding more minutes for his freak athlete.
The numbers don’t lie though. The Knicks look better when Obi plays and everyone can play faster with him. He’s starting to impose his size on smaller defenders, which he couldn’t do last season. Something as simple as getting to the middle and sealing his man off the baseline makes for an easy target and easy points. Those are the magic words with Obi Toppin, “easy points.” Now Thibodeau just needs to play Toppin long enough for a performance score and to pile up those easy looks.
Mitchell Robinson: 11 PTS (4/6 FG, 3/4 FT), 14 REB, 2 STL, 3 BLK, 1 TO in 22 mins
It felt like Mitchell Robinson was playing with a weight lifted. He moved more freely and dominated the middle by outworking San Antonio’s bigs. That’s especially impressive because San Antonio deploys legitimate Centers and Mitch overwhelmed them for 8 offensive boards and 14 overall. Robinson was a putback machine in this game but received some easy entry passes for flushes as well.
The big story was that Robinson got a demotion to the second unit, but there are a couple of reasons why I didn’t hate the decision. By entering the game later in the odd-number quarters, Mitch gets a break organically during his stretches on the floor. That allows him to go all-out for five minutes before a breather between quarters and then five more minutes of work. His fresh legs mean a better motor which boosts my second reason for optimism…I love the Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson tandem.
A Mitch breakdown is incomplete if we don’t get into his defense. Robinson turned in one of his better defensive efforts in recent memories. His blocks were emphatic and his steals felt earned, with plenty of challenged shots that didn’t make it onto the boxscore. Robinson had a major impact on both ends of the floor and I can’t wait to see how he looks when his stamina gets back. Robinson worked his way to a 3.5 of 5 on the impact score.
Quentin Grimes: 0 mins
Grimes got in there to play defense at the end of the first quarter. He did a good job, but Doug McDermott’s offense was better.
Off to a good start with Tom Thibodeau’s new Knicks rotation:
Tom Thibodeau:
Tom Thibodeau singled out RJ Barrett and moved Mitchell Robinson to the bench in the lead-up to this game. I rolled my eyes at both choices initially, thinking that we were moving back to the habitual trust of older players and vets. But the proof is in the pudding and both young players responded with fantastic performances. We can’t pinpoint a catalyst after just one game, but this felt like a statement for both the team and its head coach.
The in-game decision-making was easy to overlook in lieu of the tumultuous week. But I’d hone in on IQ closing the first half instead of Fournier and Barrett’s continued work with the second unit. Thibs has slowly shifted the rotation to a place where we’re now watching four of the team’s young prospects work together for long spells (Barrett, IQ, Toppin, and Mitch). RJ gets to be a focal point on the ball during that time and Mitch gets to play with the best playmakers in the rotation. Hopefully, those two get a boost from the change that lasts beyond this one night.
I’ve been pretty tough on Thibodeau this season. I’m still mad about Obi Toppin’s minutes and I was frustrated at signs of waning effort. But true to his words, Thibs gave the players a quarter of the season and then made tweaks and adjustments that are showing promise initially. The players responded to his decisions well and it didn’t take long to see the logic behind the moves. Thibodeau gets a 4 out of 5 for his rotation changes and post-game interviews galvanizing a struggling team.
Closing Thoughts:
This was refreshing and needed like an oasis in a desert. New York lost three in a row and the season felt ready to spiral out. They still haven’t put together two wins in a row since the end of October. That turned a game against a losing team into a must-win affair and time for a gut-check. But the Knicks answered and while we shouldn’t take too much from beating a weak opponent, it’s a necessary step in the right direction.
Here’s the other piece of good news: The Knicks play the Indiana Pacers tonight and Toronto Raptors next, which represents a great chance to put together a shiny win streak before they face elite squads in the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. So the Knicks can build momentum before the daunting task of challenging true contenders. It also helps that these are road games because New York seems to feel more pressure at the Garden than anyone they play against (I just want to be clear that I’m shaking my head and pouting at this fact).
Indiana is next and they’ve just announced a fire sale. That could mean a disgruntled group rolls over for an easy win, but it could also mean a fired-up opponent with something to prove. Three of the Knicks’ starters played big minutes last night and tired legs could sap the three-point threat that has appeared in New York’s best performances. There’s reason to be nervous, but this is still a major opportunity. It’s a soft spot in the schedule where New York needs to gain some ground and start putting together some real chemistry. We’ll see how it all worked out in the next one Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. In case you missed it, catch up on Knicks Weekly, and hear what CP, Alex, and the fans have to say about the previous week and more!
