The New York Knicks fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-117. New York kept pace in the first half, but the wheels fell off in the second.
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The New York Knicks finished their road trip with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 100 to 117. Concluding a five-game road roadtrip with the West’s top team was going to be an uphill battle. But the Knicks fought, keeping the game close and competitive for the first half of basketball. The Wolves maintained their intensity coming out for the third quarter, while the Knicks’ execution deteriorated. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards went into superstar mode, took over, and put the game away with time to spare.
We can blame fatigue, rusty returning players, and a high-caliber opponent for the Knicks’ woes. But even with the scheduling quirks, it’s concerning that the Knicks haven’t beaten a team higher above eighth in the standings. It’s easy to look incredible against the Wizards, not so much with the Celtics or Wolves. Let’s see which players stepped up and who left more to be desired in this game.
New York’s starters can’t keep up with the Wolves
Jalen Brunson: 25 PTS (7/15 FG, 3/6 3PT, 8/8 FT), 6 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 36 mins
Jalen Brunson gave New York a fighting chance for as long as he could. Brunson continued to find success through his jump shot while settling into a nice playmaking groove. This marks his fourth straight game with more than 5 assists. Unfortunately, most of Brunson’s production came in the first half. The Wolves increasingly focused on forcing the ball from Brunson’s hands, and none of the Knicks’ tertiary ball-handlers stepped up.
It’s good and bad that we have Jalen Brunson from last season playing right now. It’s good because New York’s point guard is a genuine talent worth building around. But it’s worrisome that he can play at this level, and the Knicks still get blown out. Every loss to a top-tier opponent is a reminder that Brunson needs more help than this current roster has provided.
For one half, Brunson was the best player on the court despite Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns sharing the floor. But the Wolves adjusted and took the ball out of his hands. So, the Knicks’ star gets a 4 out of 5 that could have been higher with a bit of help from teammates.
Quentin Grimes: 0 PTS (0/6 FG, 0/6 3PT), 2 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL in 24 mins
I’m not on the bench Quentin Grimes train, but this was a terrible performance in Grimes’ return. He was tasked with guarding Anthony Edwards and managed to contain the budding star in the first half. But Edwards took over in the second half in a manner that even elite defenders can’t stop. Grimes made a respectable effort but got cooked and might end up in some highlight clips for getting put in a blender.
Without his defense to lean on, Grimes’ impact falls to shooting. But Grimes shot the ball horribly, missing every attempt despite multiple open looks. The Wolves have a ton of size and length, so spacing is paramount to overcome their defense. Quentin Grimes is supposed to be the floor spacer, but he failed.
None of this is meant to say that Grimes should be demoted. He returned from a wrist injury and faced a franchise star on defense. This would have been an uphill battle in the best circumstances. But for this performance, Grimes can only muster a 0.5 out of 5 for failing to find a positive impact.
RJ Barrett: 14 PTS (4/13 FG, 3/4 3PT, 3/4 FT), 1 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 4 TO in 22 mins
RJ Barrett’s struggle could be blamed on rust and a lack of rhythm. He seemed a step behind his early season success, and that got his pocket picked and shot blocked on occasion. But I also sensed some of that hesitation coming from the presence of Towns and Gobert down low. Barrett shot the ball fine from deep, but his touch around the rim regressed to last season’s struggles.
We can add defense to the “Is this rust or regression?” category. Barrett got caught sleeping on cutters a few times and was late to rotate to shooters on other occasions. He’s been a much better defender this season than last, but the Wolves brought out some of his worst habits.
After a weeklong break, I’ll chalk RJ’s struggles to a lack of rhythm. His feel for the game seemed like a revelation to start this season, and there were flashes of that progression in the second half against Charlotte. The Wolves defense is a much tougher team to find flow against, and it showed. Barrett gets a 1.5 out of 5 for poor shooting and turnovers.
Julius Randle: 21 PTS (6/16 FG, 1/6 3PT, 8/12 FT), 1 AST, 14 REB, 2 TO in 34 mins
From nearly the opening tip, I sensed Julius Randle was trying to do too much. He knocked down a couple of early baskets but quickly devolved into dribbling too much without plays developing. It’s one thing to hold the ball and attack purposefully, but another to pound the rock with a wall of defenders forming. Randle got stuck on the latter.
Randle found some success by taking rebounds and attacking in transition. But even those attempts led to mixed results, and they came at the expense of outlet passes. The Knicks’ offense has succeeded when defensive boards lead to quick passes up the floor, but Randle kept the possessions for himself.
To make matters worse, Randle’s defense again stood out for all the wrong reasons. This game was a bit of a disaster despite a somewhat pleasant box score compared to teammates. The big man’s been much better as a ball mover this season, so I hope this was just a blip. Randle earns a 1.5 out of 5 for trying to step up but struggling.
Mitchell Robinson: 10 PTS (5/7 FG), 11 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO in 30 mins
The most entertaining part of this otherwise challenging game was Mitchell Robinson tangling with Rudy Gobert. In many ways, Gobert represents the peak of Robinson’s playstyle. So, watching Robinson win the match-up for most of the first half was exciting. Gobert got going in the second half, but much of his success came while Isaiah Hartenstein checked in.
While Mitch didn’t do anything unique compared to his play all season, the fact that he kept his success against the best defensive center in the league was still remarkable. Robinson grabbed more rebounds and clocked more Stocks than his match-up. This performance is another sign that Mitchell Robinson has taken a leap.
Robinson contributed the second-best impact on the team. Jalen Brunson is the team’s star, while Mitch is emerging as the team’s most consistent presence. Brunson, Randle, and Barrett can explode and lead the team to a victory, but Robinson always leads the defense. Mitch gains a 3.5 out of 5 for battling Gobert without missing a beat.
The Knicks’ second unit stumbles against size
Immanuel Quickley: 15 PTS (4/14 FG, 1/7 3PT, 6/6 FT), 1 REB in 17 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s recent success came to a halt. He forced his way to 15 points but on inefficient shooting without a single assist to boost his impact. The poor shooting is slightly misleading because I lost count of the number of shots that made it halfway down before rimming out.
IQ usually finds ways to contribute beyond his scoring. He’s reliable on long rebounds, has progressed as a playmaker, and always helps on defense. But those impacts all felt muted against Minnesota. Maybe the limited minutes he played are to blame, though it may be the other way around. Quickley played poorly enough to warrant fewer minutes than usual.
I won’t linger on the bad performance, mainly because there was less playtime to scrutinize. My IQ gets a 2 out of 5, with me being lenient since some of those misses were bad luck.
Donte DiVincenzo: 7 PTS (2/8 FG, 1/6 3PT, 2/2 FT), 5 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 26 mins
Donte DiVincenzo fell back to Earth after shooting like a star for his previous two games. DiVincenzo didn’t have many paths to easy looks inside against the Wolves’ gigantic frontline. So, his scoring relied on a three-ball that wouldn’t go down. His only jumper to fall came on an awkward catch and reset, which is surprising because he had easier looks all game.
DiVincenzo didn’t let the Wolves’ rim protection prevent him from driving. Donte attacked closeouts, got his feet in the paint, and sprayed the ball out to shooters. He and Brunson sparked some fun passing sequences that helped both players reach impressive assist totals, considering how poorly New York shot.
DiVincenzo made a decent contribution to an otherwise wayward team. The newcomer couldn’t match his recent success, but he still provided quality play ahead of most teammates. Donte gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his solid outing.
Josh Hart: 4 PTS (2/6 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL in 24 mins
Josh Hart’s hesitation to shoot led to Donte DiVincenzo audibly yelling at him to shoot. The shout was cathartic for Knicks fans, who have been begging Hart to fire away. There are nights when Hart passes up shots but gets into the lane and wreaks havoc. That wasn’t the case when he dribbled into a pair of 7 footers.
I’ll give New York’s hardest worker his props for matching up with some giants. Hart (6’4″, 215 lbs wing) spent multiple possessions trying to keep Naz Reid (6’9″, 264 lbs center) out of the paint. It’s not surprising that Hart failed to grab his typical rebounds or break down the court as often.
But even the awkward match-up can’t excuse Hart’s inability to do more with his open looks and touches. He can’t continually receive the ball in space to finish with only 4 points and a single assist. He has to be better. Hart earns a 1 out of 5 for lack of productivity.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 2 PTS (1/3 FG), 5 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 14 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein might have had his worst game of the season. When he shared the floor with Rudy Gobert, it was the first time he looked mismatched all year. Gobert got better positioning, grabbed extra boards, and outworked I-Hart. It was a disappointing night for New York’s back-up big.
Hartenstein didn’t get a lot of minutes to turn his struggles around. He got quick hooks, and that only felt fair after his struggles. I-Hart receives a 1 out of 5 for not getting enough done.
Tom Thibodeau can’t find an answer, and I don’t blame him
The Knicks ran into a huge team, and Tom Thibodeau couldn’t solve the puzzle. I don’t blame him for that because New York’s roster is sorely missing the kind of wings that can help in this type of match-up. Thibs’ system has looked great on most nights, and fatigue has been the common denominator when that system falls apart. So, Thibodeau has a lot of baked-in excuses after this loss.
Could he be better? Maybe, but between the awful schedule and lack of options on his roster, that’s not a foregone conclusion.
Closing Thoughts
I’m getting impatient. The Knicks look good, for the most part, but haven’t clocked a signature win yet. Every chance they’ve had to make a statement has coincided with short rest and injured players. That makes it easy to rationalize their lack of big wins. But I can’t understate the frustration after 14 games without beating anyone notable.
The Knicks look like a good team, but they’ve yet to show us a great team. They’d have to beat the Boston Celtics or Denver Nuggets, keep up with Minnesota or the Philadelphia 76ers, or shock the Milwaukee Bucks or Oklahoma City Thunder. Those opportunities are fleeting, and New York hasn’t seized on their few chances.
This week presents two more opportunities to pick up an impressive win. New York plays the Miami Heat in a playoff rematch, then the ever-dangerous Suns. I’ll note any significant developments, and we can discuss them after each game. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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