The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-81. The Knicks turned back the clock and played tough-nosed defense.
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The New York Knicks picked up a much-needed win at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers 92 to 81. New York found success thanks to an improved defensive effort. The refs assisted both team defenses by calling a season-high 13 travels on the two teams. Those whistles weren’t the only helpful aspect for New York, as both teams shot miserably, even on open looks from the field.
The messy game made it tough to judge how much changed in the 24 hours since Dallas embarrassed the Knicks by 21 points. But there were clear changes to the rotation as Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish sat, and Deuce McBride played meaningful minutes.
Let’s take a closer look at the Knicks’ performance in this strange Sunday evening match-up.
Sloppy offense but successful defense for New York’s starters
Jalen Brunson: 23 PTS (7/16 FG, 2/4 3PT, 7/8 FT), 4 AST, 2 REB, 1 BLK, 3 TO in 32 mins
Jalen Brunson’s consistency was integral for New York in this win. While virtually every other player struggled, Brunson remained efficient as ever, beyond a couple more turnovers than we’re used to. He also made clutch baskets and free throws when Cleveland made a late attempt at a comeback. My favorite play for Brunson was actually an assist, bounced through the paint from a post-up.
Brunson didn’t stand out defensively, positive or negative. That’s not an indictment considering Cleveland’s backcourt. His effort is rarely a problem, so that’s unsurprising.
Brunson stepped up when the team desperately needed a win. He’s been timely with his production all season long. He gets a 3.5 out of 5 for clutch plays in a crucial win.
Quentin Grimes: 4 PTS (2/8 FG, 0/4 3PT), 1 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 39 mins
Quentin Grimes shot the ball horribly. His field goals came in motion toward the rim. He earned open looks with clever movement off the ball but couldn’t knock down anything. The young wing passed the ball better than his one assist might suggest, but not well enough to make up for four turnovers.
That said, Grimes’ value is defined by his defense. He did a fantastic job sticking to Donovan Mitchell throughout the game, hence his 39 minutes of action. New York’s perimeter defense looked especially strong when Grimes worked with the second-unit backcourt of IQ and Deuce McBride. That’s not surprising, but still promising considering the opposition.
With Cleveland missing Jarrett Allen, Grimes’ poor shooting didn’t hurt. But New York is going to need floor spacing from its wings sooner than later. I trust him to come around on that part, and he’s doing everything else as well as we can expect from a sophomore. Grimes picks up a 3 out of 5 for his great defense, in spite of the issues with his jump shot.
RJ Barrett: 15 PTS (5/13 FG, 2/7 3PT, 3/4 FT), 1 AST, 8 REB, 1 STL, 6 TO in 30 mins
RJ Barrett played one of the worst halves of basketball of his career. But he came out of the locker and poured in 12 points in the third quarter, even knocking down a couple of jumpers. Barrett’s tough stand was important, keeping New York afloat through a quarter that has been disastrous for most of this season’s losses.
Barrett picked up six turnovers, mainly thanks to driving headlong into traffic. I welcomed the tough lesson for the prospect because he’s habitually dribbled into trouble all season long. The refs’ renewed focus on traveling made RJ’s reckless habit more painful than ever. But the silver lining is that he turned the ball over just once in the second half.
The Knicks need RJ to be better. His third-quarter performance was a step in the right direction, but he needs to be productive consistently. His efficiency is concerning, but the turnovers would be backbreaking on most other nights. Barrett earns a 1.5 out of 5 because New York needs him to contribute for all four quarters and not just one.
Julius Randle: 18 PTS (7/19 FG, 1/7 3PT, 3/3 FT), 4 AST, 8 REB, 1 TO in 35 mins
Julius Randle failed to convert open jumpers, which let his offensive performance worse on paper than I thought it looked overall. I wasn’t mad at his shot selection, and he made a few extra passes that were nice to see. But issues with over-dribbling and poor shooting from range still left his impact on a shaky foundation.
That’s not good because his defensive inconsistency continued. There are plays where Randle will lock in and stay in front of a ball-handler with quality footwork. But he’ll inevitably have more missed rotations and poor decisions than positive defensive plays. He has to lock in on that end, especially with his shooting struggles.
I won’t go too hard on Randle because he moved the ball and worked on the boards. I’d have enjoyed more work in the paint, but the Cavs defended him at a distance. That leaves him in desperate need of his jump shot. Randle gets a 2 out of 5 for the tough but not terrible night.
Mitchell Robinson: 5 PTS (2/2 FG, 1/2 FT), 13 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 33 mins
Mitchell Robinson is in a similar boat to Quentin Grimes. His offense barely registered, but nobody will care when you lock up Evan Mobley while simultaneously protecting the paint from everyone else. Robinson’s defense was impeccable, with some key defensive stands later in the action.
That rebounding total is even more impressive than it looks too. Cleveland frequently threw multiple bodies at Mitch to keep him off the boards. It worked sometimes, but he still found his way to loose balls and rebounding opportunities. The Cavs failed to contain Mitch with Jarrett Allen out.
Robinson’s impact is greater than his 5 points suggest. His 13 rebounds and 4 Stocks are the tip of the iceberg on a high-caliber defensive showing. He gets a 3 out of 5 for anchoring the Knicks’ best defensive performance of the season.
Helpful minutes from the Knicks’ second-unit
Deuce McBride: 0 PTS (0/4 FG, 0/4 3PT), 2 AST, 1 STL in 16 mins
We’re sticking to the theme of players doing more than their statistics suggest. Deuce McBride hit the floor as the first sub off the bench, along with IQ. He never scored, but his defense and energy were clear as day. He applied pressure along the perimeter, displaying excellent chemistry with Quickley and Grimes on defense.
My only complaint is that I’d like to see McBride attack more. He mainly shot when the shot clock was low, despite having space to operate on most of his touches. He threw my favorite pass of the night with a lob to Obi. He shouldn’t shy away from testing defenders. McBride tallies a 2.5 out of 5, even without scoring.
Immanuel Quickley: 12 PTS (6/8 FG), 2 AST, 5 REB, 3 TO in 24 mins
The most interesting part of Immanuel Quickley’s night is that he never attempted a three-pointer. Quickley saw open paint without Jarrett Allen to challenge him, and the Knicks’ sixth man attacked relentlessly. His finishing was a big boost for an offense desperate to find efficient scoring.
IQ’s turnovers are similar to the rest of the team. He picked up traveling violations that bumped his TO rate above his normal controlled output. But his 12 points and 2 assists were crucial, even with the missteps mixed in.
I won’t repeat myself much about IQ’s defense and rebounding. They’ve been the most consistent aspect of his game this season and continued their trend of quality performances. IQ gets a 3 out of 5 for scoring efficiently.
Obi Toppin: 5 PTS (2/7 FG, 0/5 3PT, 1/2 FT), 2 AST, 4 REB in 13 mins
Obi Toppin ran into the same problem Julius Randle did. Defenders left him plenty of space, and he failed to convert his open looks. Toppin still managed some nice passes off the dribble and a highlight dunk along the way.
I don’t think Toppin’s shooting woes warranted such limited minutes. It’s not like Randle provided much as an alternative. But with fewer opportunities and a failure to covert, Obi is stuck with a 1.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 10 PTS (4/9 FG, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 9 REB, 1 TO in 14 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein gave the Knicks a strong contribution off the bench. We got to see his patented floater and a few nice finishes along the way. His rebounding was impressive in the short amount of time that he played. But there’s only so much a player can show in less than 15 minutes of action.
Hart hasn’t found a consistent groove yet, but he’s made positive contributions in more games than not recently. He locks up a 3 out of 5 for coming just shy of a double-double in such a short time.
Thibodeau finds defense with a new, shortened rotation
Tom Thibodeau made two big changes to his typical rotation. He replaced Derrick Rose with Deuce McBride and cut the rotation to 9 by sitting Cam Reddish.
The decision on Rose might be as simple as resting the aging point guard in back-to-backs from now on. It’s a peculiar choice after he played Rose for a season-high 24 minutes in the first leg of the last two consecutive games without benching him in the next one. But McBride added a welcome defensive element against a tough backcourt.
The Reddish decision is likely to frustrate some fans. Cam’s minutes have wound down in each of the four games since he returned from a groin injury, and now he’s a healthy scratch. The young wing had shown defensive growth and offensive promise prior to the injury.
But the results were the best defensive showing of the year. It’s hard to complain when the decisions work, at least this one time. Defense tends to be easier on Sundays in New York. I’m also dropping Thibodeau from a 3 to a 2.5 for picking up a technical with awful timing in the fourth quarter.
Closing Thoughts
I’m not sure that this win washes away the sour taste from the Dallas Mavericks beatdown a day before. But it was nice to see the Knicks show some pride and play with heart after that debacle. I think we’ve reached a point where the Knicks have played consistently inconsistent basketball for too long to get excited about any one-off win.
New York could string together wins and change the narrative that has developed. But even with a soft spot in the schedule coming up, I’ll need to see it to believe it. The fact that New York won this game with defense has given me some hope, at least.
Question marks still linger all over the place. Will Randle or Barrett find consistency? Is McBride going to see more opportunities to crack the rotation? How far can this team improve without any roster changes? I hope we’ll have clear answers before the Christmas Day games, but maybe that’s wishful thinking.
Atlanta’s next with some drama unfolding behind the scenes. This could be a chance for New York to steal another quality win and improve their home court reputation. Let’s see if the Dallas loss was truly a wake-up call and discuss it after the Hawks action. I’ll see you then, Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out the analysis and fan reactions from when the Knicks played the Dallas Mavericks!
