The New York Knicks held a 16-point lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter. However, New York lost momentum down the stretch.
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The New York Knicks led the Milwaukee Bucks for most of three quarters before losing in the fourth, 107 to 111. The Knicks and Bucks fought in a physical, defense-first affair that saw both teams shooting miserably through three quarters. The Knicks packed the paint to contain Giannis, which worked until the Bucks got hot in the fourth and stole the win.
The taxing affair took on a playoff atmosphere. New York came up short, but they fought until the buzzer. Let’s see how New York came close and what they might fix to seal victory next time.
The Knicks’ starters ride Brunson’s scoring to a competitive battle
Jalen Brunson: 44 PTS (15/30 FG, 4/10 3PT, 10/10 FT), 4 AST, 7 REB, 3 TO in 39 mins
Jalen Brunson put together a spectacular performance. He pushed Jrue Holiday out of the first half with foul trouble, then abused Jevon Carter to the tune of 20 points before halftime. When the Knicks were locked in a back-and-forth battle through crunch time, Brunson knocked down shot after shot to keep things close. The Bucks got buckets from Ingles, Holiday, and Allen, while Brunson responded to every basket. The Knicks’ star didn’t run out of gas; he kept making shots but ran out of time on the game clock.
I’ve spent a lot of words celebrating Brunson’s help on defensive boards. This game is another excellent example, with an astounding 7 rebounds to support my recent praise. Brunson boxed out Giannis at one point, saving the Knicks from giving up an offensive rebound. He chased down a few long boards along the baseline as well. These hustle plays make a difference in close games, especially when the leader is stepping up.
Brunson also shot 10/10 from the free throw line. That’s a nice bounceback from his recent free throw struggles. He has played near-perfect basketball since returning from his hip injury. Brunson’s playing like a star, and his incredible play in crunch time earns a 5 out of 5 despite the loss.
Immanuel Quickley: 23 PTS (9/14 FG, 3/6 3PT, 2/3 FT), 4 REB in 43 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s numbers look great, but I wanted even more. He shot a blazing 6/8 from the field in the first half, picking up 15 points in the process. IQ continued to contribute in the second half, but he was relegated to spacing duty down the stretch. That made some sense with Jalen Brunson torching Milwaukee. However, Julius Randle was struggling, so IQ could have been more involved to help.
Quickley’s distance shooting warrants discussion. His best shots came when he had time to set, gather, and shoot. We’ve seen ebbs and flows from Quickley’s shooting throughout the year. But he’s lethal when passers find him with time to set his form. IQ’s pull-up jumper is a better weapon in the mid-range, and his finishing around the basket was particularly strong against Milwaukee.
I typically dock players for lack of tertiary production. But IQ’s lack of assists comes down to fewer opportunities than I’d have liked. He rebounded as needed and played great defense without steals or blocks to brag about. Quickley played a great game of basketball and earned a 4 out of 5 for continuing to play well as a starter.
Quentin Grimes: 4 PTS (1/7 FG, 0/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 8 REB, 2 STL in 34 mins
Quentin Grimes’ tough night from the field didn’t stop him from making some great plays. His sole field goal came on an acrobatic baseline drive, and he drew free throws making a similar move to the basket. Grimes never established his jumper, but that was partially due to the Bucks refusing to give him space. Nevertheless, the sophomore’s gravity is impressive at this early juncture in his career.
Grimes had a good but tough night defensively. That’s because he gave up three consecutive crucial baskets from Jrue Holiday in crunch time. But those shots came from Holiday making fantastic step-back jumpers that Grimes contested as well as possible. So New York’s sophomore played great defense, only to lose out to better offense.
This performance constitutes an off night for Grimes. He shot poorly, didn’t register much playmaking, and gave up a few crucial baskets. But I doubt you’ll find fans complaining about the defensive stopper’s performance. He still worked hard, challenged scorers, and made clever cuts that helped the team beyond the box score. Nonetheless, Grimes receives a 3 out of 5 for his effort.
Julius Randle: 25 PTS (9/29 FG, 1/12 3PT, 6/7 FT), 5 AST, 16 REB, 2 STL, 3 TO in 40 mins
Julius Randle missed his first 9 attempts from three and shot 4/18 in the first half. He earned his few field goals by posting up and bullying his way to some bunnies. Randle improved in the second half but still struggled and seemed hesitant on his jumper for the first time in over a month. So, the big man made some nice passes and set some rugged screens, but his scoring was disappointingly inefficient.
Here’s where Randle has set himself apart from the version of himself we saw last season. Randle turned frustration on offense into an intense defensive effort. Both of his steals came from pure hustle and work. He engaged Giannis and challenged the superstar every time, keeping up with the Greek Freak’s physicality in the process. Randle fought, scratched, and pulled to get his 16 boards and battled to an exhausting extent.
Randle made up for his flaws with heart and effort. But we still can be honest about his struggles. The Knicks leaned heavily on the Brunson/Randle two-man game late, and Randle’s possessions included some bad mistakes. When he struggles as he did, New York has scoring options, like IQ, that should get more looks. That doesn’t take away from Randle’s Herculean effort, though, and he receives a 3 out of 5 despite the miserable shooting night.
Mitchell Robinson: 2 PTS (1/4 FG), 3 AST, 8 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 37 mins
Mitchell Robinson’s night is tough to sum up. He only managed 2 points and 25 percent from the field. The big man grabbed a solid 8 rebounds, but that pales in comparison to his best games on the glass. But Robinson still felt like a dominant presence. That’s because even on the boards he didn’t grab, Mitch drew multiple Bucks over to keep him at bay. The additional attention meant Robinson’s offensive boards led to some pleasant assist opportunities.
Mitch stood out for his defensive play against a tough match-up in Brook Lopez. Factoring in turnovers, Brook had more success chucking jumpers against the Knicks’ drop coverage than he did attacking Robinson inside. Even when Lopez added a crucial tip-in late, he did so by angling away from Mitch and over a smaller box out.
Robinson’s stat lines rarely display his true impact. This one is particularly misleading. The big man’s impact on the offensive glass went beyond his rebound total, and his 3 assists made up for lack of scoring. His 3 stocks are impressive but not as remarkable as his eye test against a great offensive center. Mitch receives a 3 out of 5 for battling in ways the numbers can’t display.
New York’s bench is missing a scorer
Miles McBride: 3 PTS (1/3 FG, 1/3 3PT), 1 AST, 1 STL in 14 mins
Deuce McBride made one standout play, stealing an inbound pass and knocking down a three along the baseline. He tried to make a few things happen in his 14 minutes of action but didn’t get much going.
McBride will always provide defense, but he can’t cover for the second unit’s loss of Immanuel Quickley on offense. The second unit needs a lead guard, and McBride isn’t ready for that role. As a result, he gets a 1.5 out of 5 for all defense and no offense.
Evan Fournier: 3 PTS (1/4 FG, 1/4 3PT), 2 AST, 1 REB in 15 mins
Evan Fournier showed heart and hustle early. Thibodeau rewarded the French wing with fourth-quarter minutes, and Fournier knocked down a three in that time. But he followed that up with a forced jumper and ineffective play the rest of the way.
To make matters worse, Fournier spent a lot of time on Joe Ingles, who completely went off. The shooter’s inability to hedge and get back to shooters was on full display: Fournier wandered too far in the middle of the court, then giving up crucial threes. That made his lengthy fourth-quarter stay frustrating. Fournier gets a 1 out of 5 for his rough night.
Obi Toppin: 3 PTS (1/3 FG, 1/2 3PT), 1 STL in 8 mins
Obi Toppin didn’t get much time to assert himself. However, he still managed a series of energizing plays early in the fourth. Obi knocked down a corner three, then earned a loose ball foul by boxing out Bobby Portis. Toppin’s first-half steal was another example of his frenetic pace making something from nothing. Obi might have swung momentum fully to the Knicks if he knocked down a mid-range floater after taking Jrue Holiday off the dribble.
Obi didn’t play much, but he showed promise in the limited minutes he earned.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 0 PTS (0/6 FG, 0/1 3PT), 4 REB in 10 mins
There’s no way to sugarcoat six missed shots in 10 minutes. Isaiah Hartenstein missed some bunnies, then had the audacity to attempt from long range. His defense didn’t stand out for anything positive, either. That’s likely the reason he only got 10 minutes.
But that raises a question: why isn’t Jericho Sims getting a shot? New York could use more from their backup center and Obi’s back,, reducing the need for spacing in that role.
Tom Thibodeau’s rotations look sloppy in the loss
I missed the KFTV post-game show last night, but I suspect that Tom Thibodeau caught a lot of heat from callers (Editors note: yes, yes it did). I don’t think anyone could miss Evan Fournier’s extended time in the fourth quarter, especially after Clyde asked, “Where is Fournier going” before Joe Ingles knocked down a wide-open go-ahead three. But New York needed those minutes from Fournier because Thibodeau played Brunson and Randle for the entire third. A third that ended with the Bucks making a run against tired Knicks players.
Obi Toppin’s return also puts pressure on Thibodeau to figure out his Center rotation. Jericho Sims has outplayed Isaiah Hartenstein frequently when they’re paired, but Hartenstein has a pricy new contract. So, there might be politics at play with this situation. But Hart’s struggles against the Bucks were more evidence that it’s time to switch, just like we saw with Fournier and Rose earlier this year.
I won’t take Thibs to task over the late-game adjustments. The Bucks responded to the Knicks’ paint focus. They went away from Giannis and trusted their shooters to steal the game, which worked. But those shooters made tough shots over good contests from Knicks’ defenders more often than they had easy looks. Thibodeau had New York in a playoff atmosphere against a championship-caliber opponent, so he gets a 2.5 out of 5 despite some missteps.
Closing Thoughts
We’re 41 games into the season, and New York has 22 wins. However, I’m still waiting for the Knicks to record a statement win. Every victory over a quality opponent seems to come with a caveat; someone was hurt, or the opponents’ schedule was brutal leading to their game in MSG. Unfortunately, this team always seems to come up just short against the best opposition.
What does that tell us? Are the Knicks as mid as we suspected? Are they a step away from new peaks or a slip away from a spiral? It feels impossible to say. I’m choosing to believe the former. We tend to overlook the adversity this team has already faced when we evaluate its future.
RJ Barrett’s out now, while Grimes spent the first 15 games of the season hurt. Obi Toppin missed a month, and the second unit has been revamped multiple times, even before injuries. Jalen Brunson played through a hip injury until he had to rest for a week, and he’s the engine for this squad.
Despite all the difficulties, New York boasts the 8th-best point differential in the league. They boast one stretch of the season at total health (for the most part because Obi was missing), and that stretch included an 8-game winning streak. We give caveats to other teams when the Knicks beat them, but New York has been missing key pieces all year long. There are higher highs to reach, though the question remains whether that peak is anything beyond the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks play the Indiana Pacers next, and the winner will hold the 6th spot in the East for the time being. This is an important matchup against a team that has won 8 of their last 10. If we’re looking for statement wins, it can start by beating a hot opponent like Indiana. Let’s meet back here to discuss the 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 Knicks Weekly, where CP and Alex go through the good, the bad, and the ugly from the week that was!
