The New York Knicks whooped the Portland Trail Blazers 112-84. OG Anunoby is transitioning seamlessly as he shines in this matchup.
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The New York Knicks continued to roll with a thumping of the Portland Trail Blazers 112 to 84. New York took the lead on a steal and dunk from Donte DiVincenzo and never relinquished. They led by 16 after the first quarter, 22 after the second, and 36 by the end of the third quarter. The domineering victory meant four starters sat the entire fourth quarter, with OG Anunoby getting some extra reps before resting early.
We can temper our reactions based on the fact that New York beat a struggling Blazers team. But that doesn’t detract from the beautiful ball movement or the unrelenting defense. The Knicks never let their foot off the gas and only looked sloppy during a series of fast breaks in the second quarter.
The streak is up to 5, and the Knicks are in sole possession of 4th place in the East. Let’s take a victory lap and go over the fun-filled win.
New York’s starters get some extra rest
Jalen Brunson: 12 PTS (3/11 FG, 1/7 3PT, 5/6 FT), 7 AST, 3 REB in 26 mins
Jalen Brunson had an off night, mainly because his jumper wouldn’t fall. The Blazers did a good job crowding Brunson on trips inside the arc and converged on virtually every Knick that drove. So, Brunson had an easy time creating space to take three-pointers, but the shots rimmed out.
The additional attention that Portland paid to slashers created openings for ball movement. The Blazers even utilized zone defense looks, which left plenty of open shooters. Brunson capitalized with plenty of head fakes to move defenders and create passing lanes for dimes. He may not have had much going on as a scorer, but Brunson made some beautiful assists.
Brunson struggled, but it didn’t drag the team down. His passing held his impact at neutral, and he had some fun moments matching up with top-pick Scoot Henderson. Brunson gets a 2 out of 5 for an underwhelming performance, and I hope he saved the good stuff for Dallas.
Donte DiVincenzo: 13 PTS (4/9 FG, 3/8 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL in 19 mins
Donte DiVincenzo opened the game with a steal and a dunk. The rest of his performance didn’t feel as assertive as that opening moment, but he picked his spots and methodically built an impressive performance.
The Big Ragu’s impact plays tend to stand out. His three-point barrage shows no signs of cooling off. But he also played the willing passer, making an extra when closeouts approached. He only had 2 assists; I suspect he had touches in several sequences that ended in open buckets for teammates.
DiVo continues to justify his spot with the starters. While there aren’t any new wrinkles to discuss, his steady contributions are always fun. He even came close to collecting a scalp on a dunk attempt. DiVincenzo gets a 2.5 out of 5 for being the perfect connector.
OG Anunoby: 23 PTS (9/12 FG, 4/6 3PT, 1/2 FT), 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 29 mins
OG Anunoby took advantage of the Blazers’ stacking the middle, knocking down three-pointers from the corners whenever ball-handlers found him. Anunoby cut from corner to corner, and the ball found him early and often. He had 13 points with over five minutes left in the first quarter.
Anunoby’s early shooting gave him added confidence on offense. We saw him attack off the dribble more than any game prior. He had a nice spin move and a few bump-and-finish layups. Add those buckets to his usual handful of easy dunks off of cuts, and Anunoby had his best offensive game since the trade.
I don’t have to tell you OG’s defense was fantastic. So, the big story is that he flashed more in his bag than we’d seen before. Anunoby was great, again, and gets a 4.5 out of 5 for being the tone-setter for this win.
Julius Randle: 20 PTS (7/17 FG, 2/4 3PT, 4/4 FT), 8 AST, 7 REB1 BLK, 2 TO in 32 mins
Julius Randle had a weird game as a scorer. Portland’s got a young big man named Badji who blocked Randle repeatedly on drives in a manner I’m not used to seeing. Randle also dealt with similar crowding to Brunson. The big man boosted his scoring by hitting open threes, but his shooting efficiency overall dipped.
But the constant double and triple-teaming on Randle didn’t ruin his performance. More often than not, Randle drew a crowd before finding the open man. His 8 assists don’t begin to tell you how many great kickouts he made. Randle’s drives were often the starting points of sequences with three or four passes ending in easy buckets.
Even on a poor shooting night, Randle looked great. His dominance came from presence, gravity, and passing rather than scoring. He’s been All-NBA for us twice, but this is the best version of Randle I’ve ever seen. Randle gets a 4 out of 5 for being the engine.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 5 PTS (1/1 FG, 3/4 FT), 3 AST, 14 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 28 mins
I didn’t realize how dominant Isaiah Hartenstein was on the boards until I read the stat line. That’s because he often followed up rebounds with quick passes up the floor for fast break points. Those outlet passes were beauties and sparked plays so nicely that I forgot about the rebounds.
I-Hart amassing stocks has become a foregone conclusion, just like his rebounding. He tallied 3 steals and a block while challenging a couple of missed dunk attempts and had an even more significant impact than the numbers say.
Big Hart’s passing is the highlight this time. From quick outlets off boards to kick outs from the pivot, Hartenstein helped ball movement for everyone. His rebounding and defense were dominant too, but we’re getting used to that. Hartenstein receives a 4 out of 5 for a great night.
The Knicks’ second-unit youth steps up
Miles McBride: 16 PTS (6/13 FG, 4/7 3PT), 2 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 21 mins
Deuce McBride did it again, knocking down multiple three-pointers and pouring on points in his time off the bench. McBride cut to open space and made his open looks count. He remained more of an off-ball player with a starter leading the offense, but Deuce looked comfortable in the role.
The fourth quarter gave McBride a chance to lead his own unit. I’m happy to report that despite a lack of assists, Deuce showed promise. He got into the paint and made some nice kickouts despite the shooters missing.
It feels like we’re just scratching the surface with Miles McBride. He flashed some ball-handling, his jumper was falling, and he was starting to look confident. That might explain the rapid extension he got before his increased role. Deuce earned a 3 out of 5 for his bench scoring and defense.
Quentin Grimes: 17 PTS (5/11 FG, 4/9 3PT, 3/3 FT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL, 2 TO in 21 mins
Quentin Grimes is quietly coming into his own, the same as Deuce. The Blazers left everyone open, so Grimes had plenty of space to fire away. He didn’t just take catch-and-shoot opportunities; Grimes knocked down jumpers off the dribble.
Grimes flashed some tricky ball-handling during the action. We saw this last season, but it’s been rarer this year. He uses head fakes and hesitations to push defenders off balance, and then he has room to drive or pull up.
I can’t stress how much more comfortable Grimes looks with this group. He’s getting extra touches and capitalizing. The second-unit defense has looked fantastic, with McBride and Grimes leading the way. Grimes receives a 3 out of 5 for being part of the bench 1-2 punch with Deuce.
Josh Hart: 2 PTS (1/4 FG, 0/2 3PT), 4 AST, 7 REB, 3 TO in 26 mins
Josh Hart is the only player I know who can shoot 1/4 and still have a reasonably good game. To put that in perspective, Hart had 4 assists, which only trailed Brunson and Randle. His 7 rebounds tied Randle, only trailing the Knicks’ centers. Hart did a little bit of everything but score.
I’m selling the fact that Hart is the ultimate glue piece. He doesn’t need to lead the team in any category because he’ll contribute strongly in multiple categories. He didn’t log steals or blocks, but his defense also looked strong.
In Josh Hart terms, this performance was mid. But that’s because he’s had double-digit rebounding games and nights with twice as many assists. He still made contributions for a meaningful impact. Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for a nice night.
Precious Achiuwa: 2 PTS (1/9 FG, 0/3 3PT), 1 AST, 9 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 19 mins
I’m rooting for Precious Achiuwa. He shot the ball miserably and made a few mistakes throughout the game. But Precious plays hard with an effort that doesn’t dwindle. He chased after loose balls and rebounds. He defended with high energy and impact. I only wish he’d have hit a few of his shots.
I won’t belabor this: Achiuwa was probably the weakest link, but that’s with everyone playing great basketball. His numbers aren’t pretty, but his impact wasn’t as bad as 1/9 suggests. He gets a 1.5 out of 5 for tough shooting but great effort.
Tom Thibodeau’s success continues
We’re seeing Tom Thibodeau’s vision for the team more clearly each night. He has enough shooters and cutters for his offensive scheme to look far more exciting than it had in the past. His defense has been devouring opponents since OG arrived. But the most exciting part is his player development is shining, too.
Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes seem poised to step up in significant ways. McBride is a delightful surprise. I’ve been frustrated with Thibodeau in the past, but there’s a reason he earned his reputation around the league, and it’s showing in New York’s success.
Closing Thoughts
I keep trying to temper my excitement, and the Knicks keep steamrolling opponents. I’m used to Murphy’s Law that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But for the Knicks, everything seems to go right. That’s especially true for midseason trades. We had the D-Rose trade lead to a 4th seed, the Josh Hart trade led to a 50-win pace last year, and now this Anunoby trade feels like a step toward contention.
Leon Rose’s front office is patient and methodic in a frustrating and effective manner. They spent more than a year trying to get OG. The DiVincenzo signing seems like preparation to move the players necessary in retrospect. Rose won’t face the media, but I can’t care when his big moves have all worked.
The Dallas Mavericks are next, and that’s an opportunity for another statement win. The Mavs are an excellent team fighting in a stacked Western Conference. They marked a turning point last season, and I hope to show them how far we’ve come. I’ll see you after the next one, Knicks fam!
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