The New York Knicks whooped the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-107. Julius Randle caught fire last night from three to help the Knicks win.
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The New York Knicks returned to the win column by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 120 to 107. Three-point shooting made the difference. New York shot 40 percent from three while attempting 48 shots from that range. Any time a player had space, they were going to fire away — the team of sharpshooters led by as many as 27 points and never let Minnesota get close.
New York’s defense showed signs of improvement, just as their shooting did. After a shaky first quarter, the Knicks’ rotations tightened up, and they began to close out shooters with genuine effort. That’s a huge step up after the Boston Celtics set a franchise record for threes in a game.
But is scorching hot shooting sustainable? Was the defense an aberration, or did the Knicks’ defense turn a corner? Let’s take a closer look at the individual performances to better understand the answers to those questions.
Lights-out shooters spark New York’s starting unit
Jalen Brunson: 23 PTS (9/14 FG, 2/5 3PT, 3/3 FT), 8 AST, 5 REB, 3 TO in 34 mins
The Timberwolves tried to slow Jalen Brunson with the tried and true method of using bigger defenders. But even Jaden McDaniels struggled to keep Brunson in check. The Knicks point guard was a beneficiary of everyone else shooting well. He had ample space to attack the paint and show off his fancy footwork and clever passing.
I’m not complaining when I say we’ve seen this from Brunson regularly. He was highly efficient, picking out openings to exploit and feeding teammates when there were none. His only blemish is three turnovers, but the positives far outweigh the few mistakes.
It’s worth mentioning that while Brunson is limited by his height, his defensive effort is consistently present. He tried to draw charges, made proper rotations, and closed out shooters throughout this game. Sometimes his size can limit his efficacy on those closeouts, but he’ll reliably work hard. This game is comfortably a 4.5 out of 5 for Brunson.
RJ Barrett: 22 PTS (7/18 FG, 3/7 3PT, 5/6 FT), 5 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 1 TO in 37 mins
RJ Barrett was fantastic throughout most of this game. His touch around the basket was impressive in traffic, and he knocked down most of his open looks from three. In addition, the young wing showed great patience, picking out assists instead of forcing things early on. His shooting efficiency only took a hit after a few forces in the fourth quarter, when his concentration seemed to lapse with a big lead.
Barrett’s third-quarter work has stood out in recent games. The Knicks have been prone to offensive lulls coming out of half-time, but Barrett seems to find momentum-changing baskets during these dry spells. For instance, he hit a three against Minnesota that staved off an early run to start the half.
I’m keeping an eye on RJ’s playmaking right now. He made some beautiful reads and passes to start this game. His efficiency only collapsed when he stopped making the extra pass. The big wing can get into the paint at will, meaning kick outs will always be available. Barrett picks up a 3.5 out of 5 and would have gone higher if he replaced some missed field goals with dimes.
Cam Reddish: 8 PTS (2/8 FG, 2/5 3PT, 2/2 FT) in 29 mins
It was a strange night for Cam Reddish. He came out the gate firing, knocking down a pair of threes early to help spark the offense. But Reddish failed to register another field goal throughout the game. Part of that resulted from other players getting hot — the ball didn’t find Reddish like it did Randle or RJ.
But some of that is the Reddish habit of passivity. There’s no excuse to go 29 minutes with an assist, rebound, steal, or block registered. That said, I still liked the defense that Reddish provided overall. His length and agility can be game-changers for the starters’ defense.
This game demonstrates the ebb and flow of Cam Reddish. He has special tools that can improve the team in many areas, but he doesn’t always know how to utilize them. His defense alone should earn him minutes, and we’ll continue to hope he finds his way to realizing his upside. Cam adds a 2 out of 5 performance rating, but I’ll be harsher if his lack of tertiary production continues.
Julius Randle: 31 PTS (9/15 FG, 8/13 3PT, 5/6 FT), 3 AST, 8 REB, 5 TO in 33 mins
I’ve repeatedly remarked about Julius Randle’s struggles with the jumper. Teams have begun daring him to shoot and all but sealing off the paint. In Minnesota, he took that personally (*Jordan’s voice*). Randle didn’t hesitate to shoot in space and knocked down six three-pointers before the end of the first half.
The hot shooting got to Randle’s head a bit as he settled for some jumpers in the second half. His comfort zone comes with some slower possessions and the turnovers that those possessions lead to. But Randle’s fearless shooting opened up the floor for everyone producing more good than bad.
My fingers are crossed that this is the game to wake up Randle’s jump shot. He’ll have to keep knocking down his open looks and learn to balance that aggressive shooting with his forays inside. We saw the big man make earnest attempts to play faster and within the team concept. The hard part will be keeping the team approach without losing the rhythm he had in this game. Randle hits a fitting 3 out of 5 for his performance, marred only by his assist-to-turnover ratio.
Jericho Sims: 4 PTS (2/2 FG), 4 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 16 mins
Jericho Sims got a hometown start and added an emphatic block a few seconds into the action. The sophomore was energized, and his mobility was helpful in the starting line-up. But Sims was overzealous and picked up cheap fouls that continually cut into his playing time.
The youngster was solid while he played, grabbing boards and challenging shots. But the fouls inhibited his production. We got to see him fly a few times, but his impact was limited to a 2 out of 5 for being limited to short minutes.
Familiar faces stand out for the Knicks’ second-unit
Derrick Rose: 2 PTS (1/10 FG, 0/5 3PT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL in 14 mins
Derrick Rose had a struggle of a night. He got to his spots on the floor and took shots we’re used to seeing. But nothing would fall for the former MVP, his lone field goal coming off a putback after consecutive misses.
Rose still defended to the tune of three steals and chipped in on the boards to his credit. He was moving well enough that I wouldn’t rehash worries about his health. Some shots did come up short, though. As a result, rose gets a 1 out of 5 for failure to convert his looks.
Immanuel Quickley: 9 PTS (3/6 FG, 1/2 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 TO in 17 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s a good barometer for the bench’s success or lack thereof. He came out the gate aggressively in this game, knocking down his patented floater early. That immediate success spread to other parts of his game as IQ picked up steals and rebounds while finishing his opportunities to score.
But Quickley’s production feels muted by minutes and fewer touches than average. Derrick Rose took extra shots looking to get going, which meant fewer opportunities for IQ to create. I don’t mind that on most nights, mainly because IQ was efficient. But I do wonder why Quickley didn’t get a few more second-half minutes.
The end result is a performance that’s good, not great. I pegged Quick for a more significant impact if he’d had more minutes. So Quickley receives a 2.5 out of 5 for his effect.
Evan Fournier: 2 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/2 3PT), 3 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 12 mins
I couldn’t ask for more than Evan Fournier provided in the first half. He picked up a pair of hustle steals and turned a defensive rebound into an excellent assist. Fournier’s transition passing was particularly fun to watch.
But he never found his jumper, and in the fourth quarter, the second unit got run off the floor quickly. That ugly second half cuts his rating to 1.5 out of 5, but he may have found something with his first-half performance.
Obi Toppin: 15 PTS (4/10 FG, 3/8 3PT, 4/4 FT), 3 AST, 7 REB, 4 STL, 2 TO in 25 mins
Most of Obi Toppin’s offensive production came in a first-half barrage. He knocked down a pair of threes, dunked in transition, and generally caused chaos for Minnesota. Unfortunately, that didn’t carry over into the second half, where his usually running mates struggled before hot hands took over the offense.
But it didn’t matter that Obi wasn’t scoring as much because his defense and rebounding were strong. Toppin got after rebounds while big men were dragged to the perimeter against Towns. Our athletic lottery pick played passing lanes well and hit his rotations, leading to four steals.
I’m not sure if Obi Toppin gets so many minutes without the team centers running into foul trouble. But his play warranted the boost in time, and his combination with Julius Randle has continued to succeed in spurts. Nevertheless, Obi picks up a 3.5 out of 5 and needs to be a permanent fixture above 20 minutes played per game.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 4 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/2), 2 AST, 6 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 21 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein had a weird game. He had a tough match-up with Karl-Anthony Towns once Jericho Sims was in foul trouble. With Mitchell Robinson out, Hartenstein had to avoid fouls which took all the bite out of his defense. You’ll rarely find a game where Hart gives up so many points at the rim.
Chasing Towns also did a number on Hartenstein’s rebounding. The big man isn’t the best at positioning, but he tends to “hard work” his way into impressive rebound tallies. That was impossible to pull off when he constantly found himself 20+ feet away from the basket to contest. It’s remarkable he chased players that far out consistently.
The end result is a quiet but effective game. Hart was bound by circumstance, so I’ll give his lack of aggression a pass. The big man gets a 2 out of 5 despite the forgettable stats.
Another line-up change from Tom Thibodeau
I like that Tom Thibodeau has been aggressive with changes. The Knicks had another frustrating performance against Boston, so Thibodeau wasted no time making changes. This time he tried Jericho Sims with the starters. The move added mobility to that group and took some pressure off Sims to make things happen offensively.
The real stroke of genius in this game is offensive planning. The Knicks took note of Boston’s approach in that prior loss. Everyone came out firing, leading to a fast, easy rhythm for many players. Hot shooting made it an easy night for Thibodeau, but he still navigated lulls in the offense with timeouts and substitutions.
Thibodeau gets a 4 out of 5 for this success. He’s made adjustments that may relate to injuries and foul trouble, but they’re working.
Closing Thoughts
I hope this makes sense to others who watched this 10-game stretch. But this has been the most .500 stretch of basketball that I’ve ever seen in my life. The Knicks jockeyed back and forth from “on the verge of collapsing” to “on the verge of a breakthrough” on a game-to-game basis. They beat the teams they were supposed to while failing to overcome any tougher match-ups on the schedule.
I suppose beggars can’t be choosers. The Knicks aren’t supposed to be contending this season, or at least no one expects them to. So it’s not a surprise that we see a clear gap between New York and the elite competition in the league.
It’s comforting to see a similar gap between New York and the lesser teams in the league. The Timberwolves are a pretty good squad, and the Knicks left their fans booing after two quarters. We have a unit that should win against bad teams, compete against good teams, and try to steal one or two from the elite.
It’s not the most exciting situation, but it does suit our expectations before the season started. We’ll have to hope that something gives or someone takes a leap to push this team up another notch.
The Brooklyn Nets are next, and while the Nets are reeling, they always relish opportunities to battle for local pride. This is another chance to prove that the Knicks are a cut above the mid-tier teams in this league. We’ll have a look at the action and discuss it after. 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 Jose’s SPICY call and thoughts on the Knicks!
