The New York Knicks fall to the Chicago Bulls in heartbreaking fashion. This loss came down to missing free throws in crunch time.
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The New York Knicks lost a heartbreaker to the Chicago Bulls 117 to 118. New York’s offense looked great again, but the Bulls kept pace with effective scoring of their own. Neither team led by double-digits in the close affair, but the Knicks had a slight edge down the stretch. New York clung to their lead until a last-second shot by Demar Derozan gave Chicago the lead and victory.
The Knicks blew this game at the free throw line, with New York missing 5 free throws in the final 3 minutes of action. That cost the team during an incredible scoring night of RJ Barrett with help from Julius Randle. Nevertheless, despite the loss, there’s plenty of reason for optimism, so let’s look at the hopeful signs in each performance.
Knicks’ starters score plenty but fail to get stops
Jalen Brunson: 12 PTS (5/15 FG, 1/3 3PT, 1/4 FT), 9 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 38 mins
Teams are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Jalen Brunson. The Bulls kept their best perimeter defenders on him all game and often sent double-team help any time Brunson approached the paint. That forced him into taking and missing a lot of tough shots. The aspiring all-star hasn’t scored well with the extra attention, but he continued his trend of increased playmaking as a response.
Brunson was uncharacteristically terrible from the free-throw line. He took a foul with 6 seconds left in the game and a 1-point lead. The typically clutch player missed both free throws, leaving the door open for Demar Derozan’s heroic buzzer-beater.
The Bulls kept Brunson out of rhythm. I mentioned that the Raptors might have found a worrisome weakness for the Knicks. Their “anyone but Brunson can close the game” approach hurt New York in the clutch, and that trend continued in this game. But this time, Brunson had a chance to be the hero and missed his free throws. As a result, Brunson gets a 1.5 out of 5 for his ugly efficiency.
Quentin Grimes: 8 PTS (3/11 FG, 2/8 3PT, 0/2 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 36 mins
Quentin Grimes hit a three early but was uncharacteristically inefficient. Grimes shot just 25 percent from three despite most of his looks being good. His forays into the paint produced a nice drop-off dime to Mitchell Robinson, but Grimes missed more than he made at the rim. The Knicks’ glue piece finished with one of his worst offensive games since becoming a starter.
Grimes’ defensive presence remained strong. But he couldn’t quite match his typical form. He gave up a few more open looks and fouled a couple more times than what we’d come to expect. He didn’t defend poorly but couldn’t piece together standout stops like we’re used to.
The drop-off at both ends is likely a reflection of Grimes’ ankle. The injury looked terrible in Golden State, and he missed the Toronto game. However, that’s no excuse for the pair of free throws he missed with just over a minute on the clock. The Knicks need Grimes for sustained success, but he has to be healthy to be effective. The sophomore ends with a 1.5 out of 5 for his performance.
RJ Barrett: 44 PTS (14/20 FG, 6/6 3PT, 10/13 FT), 4 AST, 7 REB, 6 TO in 39 mins
RJ Barrett dominated on offense for most of the action. He knocked down every three that he took, including contested shots as the clock wound down. Barrett drove and finished with a flourish, adding a pair of emphatic dunks that included a poster on Vucevic. When the Bulls’ defense stacked or sent doubles at him, New York’s prospective star responded with smart passes that helped teammates attack.
I’ve spent a lot of words on Barrett expanding his reads to kick outs. His recent hot streak has included several standout passes to corner shooters. But this game also included some quick swing passes to the wings. Those passes led to drives for Julius Randle and assists for Jalen Brunson. So Barrett’s full impact consists of a lot of playmaking that didn’t count in his stats but did lead to scoring.
Thanks to his gem from the field, I’m tempted to give Barrett a perfect score. But Barrett picked up two costly turnovers in the clutch and missed a free throw. He also compiled all 7 of his rebounds in the first half but stopped contributing on the glass after. Those are genuine blemishes, but they only reduce his impact score to 4.5 out of 5. I expect his clutch play to improve with experience, and he was fantastic otherwise.
Julius Randle: 29 PTS (11/22 FG, 5/10 3PT, 2/5 FT), 3 AST, 12 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 38 mins
Julius Randle put together another fantastic performance, buoyed by solid shooting from distance that faded in the clutch. His best moments continue to happen at the rim, where his strength and body control make him unstoppable. But Randle’s jumper was just as big a threat for most of the action.
There are areas of the game that Randle can clean up. I don’t like seeing the ball in his hands to close quarters, and his defense is improving but still has room for more consistency. He gave New York a six-point boost in the final six minutes of the action but also missed some open looks and picked up bad fouls during that time.
I only mean to point out areas for improvement. Randle’s game deserves props for high efficiency, great rebounding, and genuine effort on defense. He’s playing the right way, and his chemistry with RJ Barrett has never looked better. Randle adds a 4.5 out of 5 for overwhelmingly positive impact, but his free throws are starting to scare me.
Mitchell Robinson: 2 PTS (1/3 FG), 1 AST, 6 REB, 1 AST in 29 mins
I wasn’t expecting a Nikola Vucevic revenge game. But Mitchell Robinson struggled with Vuc throughout the night. The Bulls center knocked down some threes in space, then drove by Mitch when he closed out. Vucevic’s effort pulled Robinson away from the basket and left him off-balance on defense.
The Bulls contained Robinson’s offensive contributions as well. Mitch “only” tallied 3 offensive rebounds, but that comes with an asterisk. On multiple occasions, the Bulls knocked balls out of bounds rather than allowing Robinson to come down with the rebound. It kept New York’s big man from easy putbacks or free throws, but the Knicks still maintained possession thanks to Robinson’s presence.
This marks Mitchell Robinson’s worst game since the catastrophic loss to Dallas. It’s not just about his box score stats; Mitch lacked his dominant air in the paint. It was a nice response from the Bulls and Vucevic after Robinson dominated most of their match-ups in Chicago. Mitch gets a 2 out of 5 for stealing extra possessions but not getting much else going.
New York’s second unit proves to be effective in limited minutes
Deuce McBride: 2 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/2 3PT), 2 AST in 10 mins
Despite his pedestrian production, I’d like to see more Miles McBride than 10 minutes. He missed his three-point attempts but hit a nifty pull-up from a step inside the paint. McBride seems ready to try more on offense, but his touches and minutes are limited.
Defensively, McBride had a couple of deflections. But we’ve been spoiled by his many standout performances. This time, McBride was good as opposed to great. So I won’t give him a poor score when his impact was muted by a lack of opportunity rather than anything related to his on-court performance.
Immanuel Quickley: 15 PTS (6/10 FG, 1/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 3 AST, 3 REB in 21 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s only issues came at the three-point line. He rushed a couple of his looks and had others rim out from long range. But IQ chained some tricky finishes on drives against a tough defense. He also moved the ball well when he caught the Bulls’ defense off-balance.
Quickley played for 21 minutes, but that still didn’t feel like enough. Thibodeau leaned on the starters to protect New York’s fourth-quarter lead, which is a reasonable choice. But I would have liked to see IQ stay on because he was a hot hand for the offense.
Quickley’s averaging 19 points over the last three games and scoring in bunches with efficiency to match. I’d like to see Tom Thibodeau tap into that more often, mainly because IQ’s defense has been just as strong. In the end, Quickley gets a 3.5 out of 5, which would probably be higher if he played for five more minutes.
Jericho Sims: 0 PTS (0/0 FG), 5 REB, 1 STL in 10 mins
I’ll have to give Jericho Sims an incomplete for similar reasons to Deuce McBride. Sims never got a chance to dunk the ball or show off his athleticism on offense. But Sims’ rebounding and space clearing still popped. There isn’t much to say about a guy who gets his rebounds and boxes out, except that Sims played the right way in his limited time.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 5 PTS (2/2 FG, 1/1 3PT), 7 REB, 1 BLK in 19 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein came down with an offensive rebound, gathered, and finished the layup. I bring this up because it’s refreshing compared to many errant tip-in attempts we’ve seen from the big man. Hart didn’t grab another offensive board, but he was good on the defensive glass.
Hartenstein’s second field goal was also notable. He’s looked eager and ready to shoot from the corners in the past two games. He knocked down his only corner three, and I’m curious to see if he’s finding a rhythm from that spot on the floor.
Hart’s defense was good in a workman-like kind of way. He didn’t make flashy blocks or big defensive stands. But Hart was solid against Drummond and okay against Vucevic. Hart earns a 2.5 out of 5 for showing some promise on offense.
A frustrating losing streak for Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau has to be frustrated about the past two losses. The Knicks have taken leads into the final three minutes of both losses. Their execution fell off a cliff against Toronto, but Chicago is even worse. The Knicks lost against Chicago, thanks to free throws. They missed 4 free throws in the 1:06 of action, with RJ Barrett and Julius Randle missing one each prior. Those are 6 points the Knicks could have had in the final 5 minutes of the match.
Thibodeau didn’t coach a perfect game. He rushed his starters into the game when the bench defense gave Chicago problems all night. The starters looked tired by the end of this game, and that makes sense after 4 of them played 35+ minutes. A drawback to the tighter rotation is that fatigue can become a factor.
But the fact remains New York could have won both of these games. We can blame late-game struggles on fatigue, but we’ve seen the Knicks pull these wins out. You couldn’t ask for a better chance to win than taking multiple free throw attempts with a lead to protect. The failure to close is on the players, not the coach. Thibs gets a 2.5 out of 5 for the tough loss.
Closing Thoughts
This loss hurts. It marks two losses in a row at the wire and comes just in time to create additional pressure for the Christmas showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers. That game is hardly a must-win, but a three-game losing streak would take the wind out of New York’s sails. It was all good just a week ago, but now I’m stressed.
But let’s not miss the forest for the trees. RJ Barrett’s emergence in December gives New York three potential go-to scorers on any given night. Grimes has been hobbled for the two losses, and Brunson has underperformed. I expect both of those players to get back on track. Add in the return of IQ’s scoring touch, and this team is closer than ever to unlocking a winning recipe.
New York’s remaining strength of schedule is another reason for optimism. Tankathon lists their schedule as the 11th easiest going forward, and winnable games begin to stack once they get past the competition with Philadelphia. But beating Philly would give them a statement win that they’re sorely lacking so far on the season.
Let’s see if New York can give us a Christmas present and dodge a three-game spiral. I’ll see you after the action, Knicks fam!
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