The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics 123-133. Donte DiVincenzo entered the starting lineup, but New York was still outscored.
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The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics 123 to 133, marking their third loss to Boston on the season.
This game never felt close. The Knicks kept up with Boston for one quarter before the Celtics began carving out a comfortable lead. Three-point defense failed New York for the second consecutive game, and their pattern of flat third quarters continued. They cut the blowout to a reasonable margin in the fourth, but that’s the best they could muster.
Tom Thibodeau made the change many fans asked for, moving Donte DiVincenzo into the starting lineup over Quentin Grimes. The switch didn’t change any of the team’s underlying problems. Then, to make matters worse, Jalen Brunson sprained his ankle in the final seconds of a game New York had no chance of winning.
This was a brutal loss, punctuating a tough week. But some players broke out of slumps, so let’s examine the performances.
The Knicks’ new starting unit has all the same problems
Jalen Brunson: 23 PTS (8/17 FG, 0/5 3PT, 7/9 FT), 4 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 34 mins
Jalen Brunson played a decent game but didn’t live up to his top form. He scored efficiently inside the arc but missed numerous open three-pointers. In a high-scoring affair, those threes were needed. But he did compile 23 points on 47 percent from the field, thanks to great work inside and a slew of drawn fouls.
Brunson’s bigger issue was defense. For the second straight game, it felt like Boston hunted Brunson. They ran him through screens, posted him up, and passed to shooters when he was the nearest defender. I lost count of the times that a Brunson close-out felt useless because he was too far to impact the shooter.
Brunson did plenty of work, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Boston. His defensive flaws stood out more than any contributions he made. Then, he finished the game by rolling his ankle after stepping on Payton Pritchard’s foot. Brunson gets a 1.5 out of 5 for a performance that isn’t as good as the numbers suggest.
Donte DiVincenzo: 6 PTS (2/6 FG, 2/5 3PT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 22 mins
Donte DiVincenzo’s numbers look awfully similar to Quentin Grimes’ recent struggles. DiVincenzo only took threes until an ill-fated layup attempt in the fourth. His shot attempts came few and far between, thanks to limited touches and long spells on the bench. He looked more decisive than Grimes has, but that didn’t change much for an overwhelmed starting unit.
I’ll give DiVo credit for staying active. His 4 rebounds match Quentin Grimes’ season high, and he remained active all game. His defense didn’t live up to Grimes, but I’m not sure either player could have helped against Boston’s shooting.
Switching DiVincenzo and Grimes only served to flip their production. Grimes was the scorer, and DiVo was the guy barely getting touches. Maybe time will iron out the problems, as Donte’s better at relocating into open space for ball handlers. But for now, DiVo receives a 1.5 out of 5 for a lackluster night.
RJ Barrett: 23 PTS (9/16 FG, 2/5 3PT, 3/4 FT), 3 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 30 mins
RJ Barrett gave the Knicks some fight when everyone else seemed ready to give up. He frequently used a trick Brunson and Quickley have mastered: slowing down after beating the initial defender through a screen. That forces bigs to come out further to defend and keeps the initial defender trapped behind the ball handler. And because of that technique, RJ scored floaters, drew fouls, and dimed to Mitch off this action.
Barrett attacked relentlessly. He kept the starters afloat when they wavered and looked especially effective with the second unit. He moved the ball well and never turned it over. Barrett even found his three-ball, which will hopefully continue.
My only complaint for RJ is that he didn’t play more minutes. He and IQ were cooking in the early part of the fourth quarter, but Thibs’ pulled Barrett for 5 minutes, which saw the Knicks’ offense stagnate again. Barrett gets a 3.5 out of 5 for a very nice showing.
Julius Randle: 20 PTS (7/15 FG, 3/4 3PT, 3/4 FT), 3 AST, 5 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 6 TO in 34 mins
Julius Randle scored the ball well, but everything else about his performance was terrible.
Starting with the good, his jumper was crisp. He knocked down shots all over the floor, including the three-point line. His work in the post led to easy baskets, and he made a few nice kickouts from the spot.
But Randle looked lazy on defense again. His help defense was non-existent for most of the night, and his rebounding fell well below his norms. He turned the ball over repeatedly due to forcing his way into traffic and getting stuck. He missed open players and passed to players in bad spots at the last second.
This was an ugly performance despite the 20 points. Randle showed poor effort in multiple areas, even failing to chase loose balls on a few occasions. In the past two games, he and Brunson have been clear targets for the opposing offense. He can’t be this passive. Randle gets a 1.5 out of 5, and I think a worse score could be justified.
Mitchell Robinson: 10 PTS (5/6 FG, 0/2 FT), 2 AST, 8 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 19 mins
Mitchell Robinson had a rough night despite some nice production. Kristaps Porzingis scored Boston’s first 8 points and continually took advantage of the Knicks’ drop coverage. Mitch couldn’t get out to the three-point line in time, and the one time he did, he fouled Jayson Tatum and sent him to the line for three free throws. Robinson couldn’t impact much inside because he chased KP away from the basket.
Mitch showed life on the glass and with his finishing. He fought for boards and putbacks. Teammates also looked for him in the paint, which was a nice change. But Robinson’s effort was cut short by an apparent foot injury requiring halftime X-rays. He limped when he eventually returned and barely played in the second half.
Robinson’s incomplete game gets a 2 out of 5 because he showed effort. But the Knicks’ defensive scheme sets him up to fail against shooting bigs, which we need to be concerned about when the top two teams in the East have shooting bigs.
New York’s second-unit keeps the game close
Immanuel Quickley: 17 PTS (4/10 FG, 3/8 3PT, 6/6 FT), 1 AST in 25 mins
Immanuel Quickley got back on track with his offense. He returned to knocking down threes, forcing defenders to tighten up on him. IQ used clever speed-changes to draw contact and fouls when they tried to stay close. His 6 free throws aren’t the only times he drew whistles, and Jaylen Brown got frustrated enough to be ejected.
Quick has little to show in tertiary stats, so I’ll point to his team-leading +/- on the night. His scoring and defense made him one of the few effective two-way players on the night. He deflected passes, challenged shooters, and provided help defense that no one else could muster.
I understand why IQ’s minutes dip during struggles like his previous few games. But I’m frustrated that he can’t get 30 minutes on nights when he’s hot. The Knicks could have used more Immanuel Quickley in this game, and that’s on Thibodeau. IQ earned a 3.5 out of 5 for a strong night in just 25 minutes.
Quentin Grimes: 13 PTS (5/10 FG, 3/7 3PT), 2 AST, 1 REB, 2 TO in 19 mins
Quentin Grimes capitalized on the extra touches he got with the second unit. He shot with more confidence than we’ve seen in a long time. He attacked off the dribble to mixed results, but seeing him aggressive off the bounce was refreshing. At one point, he took the baseline and dribbled through for a reset. That seems pointless, but it shows a level of comfort he hadn’t displayed with the starters in over a month.
Grimes got into a nice rhythm. He knocked down three long-range shots and finished a pair of transition layups. One of his assists came on a pick-and-roll feed to Mitchell Robinson. That’s right; Grimes even ran a pick-and-roll.
The only downside to the performance is that Grimes didn’t change much about the team’s poor defense. He got everything else going, so hopefully, this sparks a resurgence. Grimes gets a 3 out of 5 for a decent night.
Josh Hart: 6 PTS (2/4 FG, 2/3 3PT), 7 AST, 6 REB, 1 TO in 27 mins
Josh Hart had a bizarre game. His 7 assists and 6 rebounds are the highlights of his night. He fought for boards effectively and pushed the pace often. He made every extra pass and knocked down a pair of threes at times when New York was desperate for offense.
But the performance still felt flat. The pair of three-pointers were all the scoring that Hart could muster. His defensive play failed to stand out for anything positive. His energy wasn’t as contagious as usual. So this game gets a solid 2.5 out of 5 because the production is good, but the performance was forgettable.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 5 PTS (2/4 FG, 1/2 FT), 4 AST, 16 REB, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 29 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up for the injured Mitchell Robinson. Hart provided a beastly rebounding effort to match what we typically get from Mitch. A nice additional effect of the rebounding is that I-Hart whipped some beautiful outlet passes off defensive boards. He has a knack for making quick passes up the floor when he nabs a loose ball.
The rest was typical for I-Hart. His defense was good, including challenges on dunk attempts at the rim. He’s not the same rim-running threat as Mitch, but he moved the ball well from space. Overall, it was a strong night for I-Hart, and he gets a 2.5 out of 5 for the effort.
Tom Thibodeau can’t beat a five-out offense, part two
In my last recap, I mentioned Tom Thibodeau’s drop coverage and packing the paint defense as a liability against five-out offenses. This game reinforced my concerns within the first few minutes. The Celtics knocked down 19 threes on 40 percent from the field, capitalizing on the same defensive quirks that Milwaukee did.
Thibodeau did allow some extra switching. But I’m not sure that’s a good idea when it means RJ Barrett was isolated against KP so often. That got exacerbated when no defender helped off their man. I couldn’t figure out why players floated to the middle of the floor but refused to double anyone. It didn’t slow ball handlers and left shooters open.
Thibodeau needs to fix this. It’s a defensive scheme that can beat up on a bad team, but good teams will break it.
Closing Thoughts
This week served a slice of humble pie to the Knicks. They’ve done great to pick on the weak teams on their schedule. But the reality check comes from an 0-5 record against the top two teams in the East and a 3-9 record against teams over .500.
I’ve said that the team can afford to be patient as long as it wins games. But December is loaded with quality opponents. This is put up or shut up time for everyone in orange and blue. We’ll soon better understand where this team stands and how desperate they should be for a trade.
Losing to a top-five team should never mean the sky is falling. But the Knicks will have to chain some wins against quality opponents soon, or they’ll fall behind the second-tier teams. As of today, they’re a play-in team.
The Toronto Raptors are next, so New York has a chance to get right against a struggling opponent. But they may limp into that game with two injured starters. I’m starting to feel worried, but I’ll be watching and hoping for a turnaround. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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