The New York Knicks defeated the Denver Nuggets 122-84. OG Anunoby locked up the defending champs in his best Knicks game yet.
The New York Knicks handed the Denver Nuggets a crushing defeat 122 to 84. The Knicks pounced on Denver early and never trailed. The Nuggets, weary at the end of a long road trip, waved the white flag after three-quarters and a 32-point deficit. All eleven Knicks who took the court finished with a positive plus-minus.
There’s no such thing as a perfect performance, but this is as close as New York has come. Their defense held Denver to a season-low in scoring, and the team won by its largest margin of the season. No one had a bad game.
So why linger on the summary? Let’s dig into each player’s performance and impact!
New York’s starters never give Denver a chance
Jalen Brunson: 21 PTS (7/10 FG, 1/2 3PT, 6/6 FT), 4 AST, 1 REB, 2 TO in 27 mins
Jalen Brunson helped the team get off to a hot start. Denver didn’t have anyone quick enough to contain him, so Brunson danced into the lane as often as he liked, finishing teardrops, drawing and-ones, and generally wrecking the Nuggets inside. He didn’t bother attempting threes until the third quarter because he was unstoppable off the dribble.
Brunson’s dominance meant fewer playmaking moments, but he never looked greedy. When Denver collapsed early enough to contain his drives, the Knicks’ star guard whipped passes to his shooters along the perimeter. He also shared the ball-handling duties more often than normal, likely because there were so many hot hands.
Brunson easily could have continued his streak of 30-point performances. But it was unnecessary, and he seemed happy to let teammates run up the score instead. He sat after three-quarters with impressive numbers for his 27 minutes of work. Brunson gets a 4 out of 5, mainly because I’ve saved higher tallies for some others.
Donte DiVincenzo: 16 PTS (5/10 FG, 4/9 3PT, 2/2 FT), 6 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 26 mins
Donte DiVincenzo did some tone-setting of his own. He picked up 8 points and 2 assists to start the game, including a pair of three-pointers. DiVo pulled up from midrange more often than I’m used to and hit those shots just as easily as his threes. He never took his foot off the gas, firing away when left open and pushing the pace.
DiVo’s work off the dribble has improved recently, and this game showed that. Beyond the pull-up jumpers, he continually hurt Denver on drive and kick plays. New York’s first bucket was a DiVincenzo kickout to Anunoby. He finished the night with at least one assist in each quarter he played.
The Big Ragu impressed me defensively, too. With Anunoby on Jamal Murray, DiVo had to guard bigger bodies such as Michael Porter Jr. He held his own against the mismatch, adding another dimension to his impact. DiVincenzo gets a 4 out of 5 for shooting Denver out of hope.
OG Anunoby: 26 PTS (10/18 FG, 3/9 3PT, 3/5 FT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 6 STL, 1 TO in 29 mins
OG Anunoby played his best game as a Knick, which is saying something because he’s been fantastic since he arrived. Anunoby opened the game with a three and proceeded to play his most aggressive offense yet. He drove through players, used footwork in the lane, and hit mid-range step-back jumpers. That side-step jumper of his is becoming a nightly occurrence.
Even after dropping 26 points on the defending champions, OG’s defense was better than his offense. He practically erased Jamal Murray from the game, and played just as big a role in help defense. Denver seemed to actively try passing away from him because any time a ball handler got too close, he’d rip the ball from them.
I could write even more about Anunoby’s defense or the way he took the lead for a second unit that has often needed a spark and set them up to explode. But you have to see OG’s performance to appreciate how dominant it truly was. Anunoby gets a 5 out of 5 for being the best player on the court.
Julius Randle: 17 PTS (7/15 FG, 1/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 8 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 30 mins
This might be my favorite performance from Julius Randle of the season. That might sound nuts, given his relatively low-scoring numbers, but those numbers portray a player who never felt a need to force the action. Randle continually got to his spots on the floor, only to draw defenders and feed wide-open teammates. I lost track of his assists to DiVincenzo, but there were a lot.
As if the passing wasn’t enough, Randle looked like he could drop 30 if he felt like it. At one point, he snatched an offensive board out of Aaron Gordon’s hands, then overpowered Jokic for a finish. If Gordon got heavy to keep up with the Knicks’ All-Star’s strength, Julius used speed to blow by him. Denver had no answers for Randle, which brings me back to how often he used his advantages for teammates.
Ironically, despite this being a great show on the floor, my favorite part of the night was when Randle brought his son Kyden down to the bench with the team. I remember Rick Brunson on the Knicks, and his son grew up to become a Knicks great in the making. So, there was a warm nostalgia evoked in this moment.
Randle gets a 4.5 out of 5 because he would have had another triple-double if he had played in the fourth.
Jericho Sims: 2 PTS (1/1 FG), 8 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 25 mins
Jericho Sims faced off with arguably the best player on the planet, Nikola Jokic. It was a tall order for New York’s young third-string center. I’m pleased to report that he held his own despite Jokic’s impressive production.
Sims’ strength forced Jokic to work in the post, creating opportunities for other players to sneak up on the Joker and pick his pocket. Joker finished with just 3 assists while adding 7 turnovers, many of which came while Sims kept him battling for position.
I do have a bone to pick with Sims on his rebounding. He’s such a great athlete that he sometimes doesn’t seem to bother looking for contact on a box out. He ball-watches and tries to spring over everyone instead, which allowed Jokic to steal some offensive boards and easy buckets. But that doesn’t ruin an otherwise very nice performance from a young prospect against one of this era’s two best big men. Sims gets a 3 out of 5.
The Knicks’ second unit has a breakout night
Miles McBride: 13 PTS (4/9 FG, 4/5 3PT, 1/2 FT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL in 21 mins
If Denver expected a break when Jalen Brunson left the floor, they were sorely mistaken. Deuce McBride hit the ground running with a three-pointer when he got on the floor. Then he knocked down enough jumpers to have Clyde change his name from Deuce to Tres.
McBride’s defense was fantastic as well. His 2 steals are a nice way to point out the pressure he placed on ball-handlers. No one looked comfortable when McBride pressed them, and his active hands forced mistakes well beyond those steals.
It’s worth noting that McBride did most of his damage before garbage time. He continued to beat up on Denver into the fourth, but he didn’t do any stat-padding. McBride gets a 3.5 out of 5 for looking like an elite shooter.
Quentin Grimes: 19 PTS (7/11 FG, 2/5 3PT, 3/3 FT), 5 REB, 2 TO in 22 mins
Quentin Grimes put together his best performance in nearly a month. Grimes dropped 19 points for the third time this season but did it uniquely compared to past scoring outbursts. This is the first time Grimes has scored 17 or more points this season while making less than 4 three-pointers. He hadn’t scored more than 11 points in a performance with 2 or fewer three-point makes.
Grimes finally got into a rhythm, driving to the basket. We’ve seen him get to the free-throw line from drives occasionally, but he hasn’t had this much success finishing at the rim since last season. He felt himself enough to throw risky passes, including a no-look attempt. Those passes led to a couple of turnovers, but I was happy to see his confidence even to try them.
Grimes has been the subject of trade rumors recently. I worried that it affected his on-court impact, but this was a great step in a positive direction. The young defender could turn a corner if his work off the dribble becomes consistently effective. Grimes gets a 3.5 out of 5 for the strong showing.
Josh Hart: 4 PTS (2/5 FG, 0/2 3PT), 3 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK in 26 mins
Josh Hart began the night with an early transition bucket. He didn’t produce much scoring after that, but he did everything else.
You know what a strong Josh Hart showing entails if you’ve read these recaps. He grabbed rebounds at a high level, attacked in transition, and played the role of connector during half-court sets. He played great defense in addition to his offense.
Hart didn’t have to shoot much, thanks to so many players shooting well around him. That left him free to attack Denver in a myriad of other ways. He came away with an effective night and a 3 out of 5.
Precious Achiuwa: 2 PTS (1/4 FG), 3 AST, 10 REB, 1 BLK in 23 mins
Precious Achiuwa’s defensive impact has taken a leap recently, continuing against Denver. His agile movement and lower-body strength make him the most switchable big man on the roster. He held his own against Jokic in the post and dealt with smaller line-ups just as effectively.
Achiuwa’s offensive rebounding fit perfectly with his fellow centers. Mitch and I-Hart are consistently attacking the offensive glass, and Precious did the same. He came away with 6 offensive boards and 10 on the night.
I couldn’t be more impressed with the recent improvement from Achiuwa. He looked lost in his first few games as a Knick. But he’s adjusted recently, and we’re starting to see more consistent positive impacts. He led the bench in +/- for this game. Achiuwa gets a 3.5 out of 5 for a major impact on defense.
Let’s talk about that Thibodeau Challenge
If there was one moment for Tom Thibodeau to make an impact in this blowout, it came early in the first quarter. OG Anunoby was called for a dubious foul on Jokic that would have been his second. Thibodeau rarely uses challenges, but he took this opportunity to keep Anunoby on the floor. He won that challenge, and OG gave us his best performance so far.
Thibodeau coasted from there, with his team rarely giving up so much as consecutive baskets to the Nuggets. That made it hilarious when Thibs fumed over detail-oriented mistakes with a 30-point lead. He never stops coaching, and he’s been a key player in the transformation of this franchise.
Closing Thoughts:
I try to temper my expectations and reactions, even when things are going great. The NBA changes fast, and momentum can swing easily. But this is comfortably one of the best two Knicks rosters I’ve watched since 2000, and they might be the best.
I’m not just excited because of New York’s current record or recent streak. It’s the fact that New York’s “hard part” of the schedule is in the rearview. The Knicks have played 5 more games on the road than at home, among the fewest in the league. They’re 15-5 at home, which bodes well for this dominance to continue.
The best part is that reinforcements are on the way. Isaiah Hartenstein should be back sooner than later, and eventually Mitchell Robinson might take this defense to another stratosphere. If the Knicks don’t find a decent trade, I’m confident they’ll garner plenty of interest from waived free agents. Life is good, Knicks fam!
The Heat are up next, in the midst of a five-game losing streak. I’ve never wanted to kick a team while they’re down more. Let’s hope for another dominant showing and discuss it afterward. See you next time, Knicks fam!
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