The New York Knicks lose to the Indiana Pacers 122-102 because consistency is the Achilles heal of this struggling Knicks team.
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The New York Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers 122 to 102. Once again, New York looked a step slow from the opening tip, unable to get stops and struggling to find an offensive rhythm. The Pacers led by 7 points after the first quarter, then by 13 at halftime, and 20 after another poor third quarter from the Knicks. New York just couldn’t muster the effort it needed to make this game competitive.
RJ Barrett and Alec Burks were efficient from the field. Obi Toppin had a dunk of the year candidate for an otherwise struggling second-unit. But the Knicks played like a team that didn’t go to sleep until 4 AM (and certainly played that way). So let’s try for some catharsis by looking at what went wrong.
RJ Barrett leads New York’s scorers again, but the starters falter:
Alec Burks: 15 PTS (5/11 FG, 0/3 3PT, 5/6 FT), 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 30 mins
The Knicks got another zero-assist game from their starting point guard. Alec Burks continued to score efficiently, but that was all he provided for the offense. He got most of his points off runners in the lane and by drawing fouls. He didn’t create for others or make the defense off-balance, nor did he have the legs in his long-range shot.
Despite the block and steal, Burks wasn’t much better than the rest of the perimeter defenders. He had some fleeting moments of disruption but gave up drives and inside scoring throughout the night. He had the benefit of Evan Fournier taking all the negative attention on defense, but Burks wasn’t particularly good either.
The experiment with Burks starting is a mixed bag. He’s a good player in terms of his attributes, but his skills don’t translate to a full-time point guard. That means Burks isn’t suited to resolve the Knicks’ issues in the starting line-up, though he does give it a boost when other players cover the playmaking hole. Burks wasn’t bad last night, but he mainly provided scoring and very little else. That locks him at a 2.5 out of 5 for the average performance.
RJ Barrett: 19 PTS (5/12 FG, 3/5 3PT, 6/7 FT), 3 AST, 2 REB, 3 TO in 35 mins
RJ Barrett had another solid night fueled by first-quarter success and a bit of a drop-off after. Another 30 bomb might have kept the Knicks from being blown out, but that’s asking for a bit much. Barrett showed that his three-pointer is back like the prodigal son, but 2/7 inside the arc won’t cut it.
Barrett led the starters in assists, but that only took three dimes. He ran into the same issues that everyone else did when trying to create. The Pacers played tight man defense, and just let ball handlers drive into the two 7 footers lurking inside. That somewhat explains RJ’s poor shooting inside and is part of the reason for his (and others) high turnover rate. Players would get a step on their defender, hesitate when bigs rotated, and wind up trapped with few options to get rid of the rock.
This wasn’t Broadway Barrett, but he managed to be the bright spot of the starters by playing fairly average basketball. Barrett’s scoring was solid but not great and his defense was forgettable. He didn’t add much on the boards and while he chipped in a few assists, it didn’t go far in terms of breaking down the defense. Barrett being decent still outshines the rest of the starters and that’s good for a 3 out of 5 rating.
Evan Fournier: 7 PTS (2/6 FG, 1/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 22 mins
We’re blaming the steaks in San Antonio for Evan Fournier after this one…I’m kidding, but I also hope Fournier’s steak story is legitimate because this performance was terrible. The French wing was victimized by back door courts, pull-up jumpers, frequent fouling, and drives right into his chest for lay-ups. This all came about while predominantly guarding a rookie (granted, Duarte is in his mid-twenties). Fournier had nothing for the defense. When he wasn’t getting burned, he was picking up bad fouls that sent players to the free throw line.
His offense wasn’t much better. Fournier hit a three-pointer, which instantly edges it past his defensive play that provided nothing of substance. But other than that, the big free agent acquisition was a dud. The Pacers took steps to disrupt passes to Randle on the post-up mismatch and it took away the one play that gets Fournier into a rhythm. Even the French wing’s sole turnover stood out for being especially bad. He picked up his dribble and threw a crosscourt pass that Caris Levert intercepted for a free dunk.
Calling Fournier’s game a disaster wouldn’t be hyperbole. He was bad on offense and even worse for the defense. He stood out for all of the wrong reasons. He’s the second player to have stomach issues in the last couple of weeks (reminiscent of Tyson Chandler’s yearly flu). Let’s hope Fournier can get some Pepto Bismol before the next tipoff. He gets a 0.5 out of 5, which I’m pretty sure is a first since I didn’t start scoring performances until after the Lou Amundson/Lance Thomas starting five era.
Julius Randle: 18 PTS (6/18 FG, 2/6 3PT, 4/4 FT), 2 AST, 8 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 5 TO in 31 mins
It feels unfair to pin this loss on Julius Randle, but New York’s star has to provide more. Randle was inefficient from the field, didn’t create for others, and gave the ball away far too often. He had an off night against a team that was well-prepared to stop him from getting the ball in comfort zones. Indy’s preparation was doubly effective because New York doesn’t start a ball handler that can improvise when plays break down. This means Randle was left fighting to make something out of nothing with a supporting cast that could only do so much to help.
Most of Randle’s damage came from work in the post. He had trouble driving into contact, but was able to hit some turning jumpers from near the hoop. The Knicks’ star picked up another technical for jawing at the referees over uncalled contact, but it seemed like a poor excuse for equally bad play. The big man didn’t find ways to punish the defense other than bumping guys and elbowing Domantas Sabonis in the throat once. That’s one way to punish a defender but it doesn’t help the team win.
I’ll give the Knicks’ star this benefit, he was trying hard. When the third quarter doom started, Randle tried to recall the night before by taking some tough shots. Unfortunately, he missed those takes badly. This game reminded me of the Hawks series, a star player facing multiple defenders without enough help to bail him out for mistakes. Julius Randle didn’t have a good game, and the team flopped behind him. But he should be able to lean on others to pick him up on a night like this, so he still manages a 2 out of 5.
Taj Gibson: 0 PTS (0/1 FG), 4 REB, 1 TO in 18 mins
Foul trouble and size issues plagued Taj Gibson’s night. He stayed on the court more than last time when he was chucked after a few minutes, but that’s about the best I can give him. Gibson’s physicality inside couldn’t make up for poor perimeter defense. Any time he helped at the rim was a chance for Sabonis or Myles Turner to get an offensive board.
If there’s a positive for Taj, it’s that the foul trouble cut his minutes short. He didn’t have to linger out there struggling like some other players. In that way, Gibson’s low scoring and rebounding are less magnified than the woes of some fellow starters (Fournier). He was better than Mitch against the pick and roll I suppose, but neither big had much impact inside.
It’s hard to hold this game against Gibson much. He went from DNP to the starting line-up in a flash and faced a team with two oversized bigs. I’m never a big fan of Taj vs bigger centers. Horrendous perimeter defense only served to magnify Gibson’s trouble inside. He didn’t have offense either, even having miscommunications with RJ which is rare. Gibson played backup minutes and put up less than backup value numbers, so he gets a 1.5 out of 5 on the night.
The Knicks’ bench loses its bite, but gets some highlights:
Derrick Rose: 8 PTS (4/10 FG, 0/2 3PT), 7 AST, 5 REB in 24 mins
I’ll credit Derrick Rose as the best all-around player New York put out there in Indiana. But the caveat is that everyone played poorly and even Rose seemed to slow down as the game wore on. Derrick started off with a flurry of beautiful drives downhill that ended in lay-ups or dimes, and he still continued to attack the hoop well into the second half. But as the game wore on, the drives were fewer and his jumpers didn’t fall.
Perhaps Rose’s best trait was making quick outlet passes in transition. When New York was fortunate enough to get a stop, Rose was quick to turn and send a pass ahead of the pack to Obi Toppin or Immanuel Quickley. He produced some assists on swing passes and kick-outs as well, but the easiest shots he created came from forcing quick transitions (that stands out because virtually nothing else came easy for New York on offense).
It’s rare to see hesitation from Rose, but he didn’t seem to want to shoot late. He passed up some decent looks that only led to harder shots for teammates. This phenomenon came about late though, and I’d guess that tired legs were the real culprit. Rose was genuinely good for New York, not just relative to teammates either. He couldn’t salvage an ugly loss, but he at least provided some nice moments. Rose gets a 3 out of 5 for his night.
Immanuel Quickley: 11 PTS (5/12 FG, 1/5 3PT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 26 mins
I mentioned Immanuel Quickley’s three-ball looking a little off against San Antonio, and it was even worse against Indiana. He shot some UFOs and some horrific bricks even on open looks. Quickley’s night was inefficient overall with more attempts than points and as many turnovers as assists. IQ had some flashes of good play, but the struggle was real between his nicer moments.
Indiana has bigger guards that render Quickley’s defense moot. They drove at him and finished with savvy moves or shot over him. The sophomore has been one of the few reliable perimeter defenders for Thibodeau, but he couldn’t help much this time around. Regardless, he still played a big role in last night’s matchup, considering other players were worse, but this was not a good night for Quickley.
IQ had a weak performance, but it lands firmly in the middle of the pack because the Knicks had so many duds. He had a nice lay-up and eventually knocked down an open three which is enough to put his production past most of the pack. Yet, it was surprising that he couldn’t draw many whistles like Burks and Barrett managed to. I think that quirk comes down to his habit of pulling up short on drives. Quickley gets a 2 out of 5 as he was far from the worst Knick, but this was a disappointing game.
Obi Toppin: 13 PTS (6/9 FG, 1/3 3PT), 2 REB, 1 BLK in 20 mins
Let’s not bury the lead, Obi Toppin gave us a highlight of the year type of dunk. He collected a fast-break pass with space to gather and threw down a dunk contest-worthy slam that would make James White proud. Obi would finish more dunks and get out in transition often, which was enough to make up for his poor defensive showing.
Toppin’s rotations were slow and ineffective. He was a step late getting into the lane and helping at the rim, and a second behind when it came time to charge out on open shooters. That’s frustrating because Obi’s offense forced Thibodeau to give the Randle/Toppin frontcourt a real look. The defense looked bad for everybody, but I feel like this night will become an excuse to shy away from that tandem in the near future…so this might be the last 20-minute night for Obi for a while.
Toppin might still be able to bump up his minutes if his jumper starts falling. He was left open for all three of his long-range attempts. The first two weren’t pretty, but he attempted his third with confidence and knocked it down from the elbow extended. So from jumpers to dunks, Obi’s offense looked great and helped a team that was struggling. It’s rare that a player’s scoring makes me ignore the rest of his tertiary production, but the Knicks were bad enough that Toppin pulled it off. Obi gets a 2.5 out of 5 on impact, but his defense is the main culprit holding him back this time.
Mitchell Robinson: 4 PTS (1/1 FG, 2/2 FT), 2 REB, 2 BLK in 19 mins
Mitchell Robinson had a tough night. I have a tough time coming down too hard on the guy because everyone else was just as bad. But Mitch looked a step slower than the night before and it rendered him ineffective against the driving Pacers. He also got cooked in the post by Sabonis which meant frequent fouls and more Indiana putbacks. After the Jokic nightmare, this was the second star big man to pick apart Robinson.
The few points are less my concern than the low rebounds and weak defense for Robinson. The shot blocker relies on dimes from others and putback opportunities for most of his offense. That makes it hard to blame him when the offense doesn’t look his way. He gets away with quiet nights because Mitch provides rim protection and rebounding. But neither of those latter traits stood out against Indy, though one of his blocks on Caris Levert was fun.
Robinson only got 19 minutes, so he was far from the biggest issue for New York. But this is a game where the Pacers did a lot of damage inside and Robinson is usually a solution to that sort of problem. He didn’t help much in that regard and created a stark contrast to Myles Turner flying in for blocks to protect a double-digit lead. There’s a reason those trade rumors keep coming up and Mitch’s struggles aren’t helping to stave them off. Robinson gets a 1.5 out of 5 for failing to impact the interior defense enough.
A garbage time glimpse at the rookies:
- Quentin Grimes: 3 PTS (1/2 FG, 1/2 3PT), 1 REB, 1 BLK in 4 mins
- Miles McBride: 4 PTS (1/2 FG, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL in 4 mins
- Jericho Sims: 0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK in 4 mins
- Kevin Knox: 0 PTS (0/2 FG, 0/1 3 PT) in 4 mins
We got to see 4 minutes of the youth which won’t tell us much, but that time did provide a couple of nice moments. Deuce McBride brought his confidence from the G-league and did a little bit of everything in the limited minutes. He drove for a lay-up, had a steal that led to points, and just looked comfortable out there. Quentin Grimes also flashed his three-point prowess and Jericho Sims’ size and athleticism pop even in limited looks.
I wouldn’t mind seeing these kids get some opportunities sooner when the regular rotation is having such a lackluster performance. McBride and Grimes are probably among the better perimeter defenders on the whole team already. Sims has a great motor and is a promising prospect. Even though Knox didn’t do much, we know that his three-point shooting is a reliable trait even if everything else is inconsistent. If the team isn’t improving, I’d love to carve out some opportunities for these guys.
No quick fixes for this team with Tom Thibodeau:
Tom Thibodeau: The fleeting hope that a single win after some changes provided was quick to blow up. Tom Thibodeau made tweaks to the rotation, shifted players, and adjusted the defense. But the Knicks are still prone to flat games and weak efforts. He can only do so much with the hand he’s been dealt, but this loss feels like a two-day affair. Jump back to the San Antonio recap and look at the big minutes that some key players got despite New York’s comfortable lead. Thibs made sure he got the win to kick off the road trip, but his players looked tired in game two.
Or maybe they just don’t have consistent effort. It’s not like it takes a back-to-back for this team to sleepwalk through rotations. Weekend games in NY have routinely taken on a similar malaise regardless of the prior week’s work or lack thereof. We could hope for some quicker hooks and extra accountability, but the coach just switched up his starters twice and called out a key player. Thibodeau’s running out of tweaks that can offer optimism.
How do I score Thibodeau’s performance when I can’t find any alternatives that would have helped? Do I hold it against him for not bringing in the young guys sooner? Should I demand harsher treatment of players despite multiple moves to increase accountability and change the roles on the team? I don’t see any easy answers, so I’m splitting the difference. Thibs gets a 2 out of 5 on the night because this feels like a continuation of struggles despite his best efforts to change things.
Closing Thoughts:
It’s tough to call this loss a trap game even though that’s a fair evaluation. I watched two New York teams lose last night on the second legs of back-to-backs. The Rangers also looked slow and tired in a beat-down loss. The difference is that the Rangers have been fantastic all year so I didn’t have to do any long sighing or reflecting on what went wrong. When you can count on a team to give 100 percent effort nightly, a slip-up feels like a blip instead of a Mike Tyson hook to the body.
That’s what I think has made this season such a bitter pill. It’s not that the Knicks have regressed or are losing some games, but it’s how they’ve been losing. The offense stagnates, effort wanes, and the team doesn’t have the “compete” that we were spoiled by last year. I don’t know that a coach can save this, but either the players dig deep or the front office finds some new sparks…or the front office dumps a few contracts and lets young guys like Jericho Sims and Deuce McBride try to learn on the job.
The Toronto Raptors are next and they’re a beatable opponent before the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. A loss for the Knicks would make another three-game losing stream feel almost inevitable. This team needs to show some life and fight consistently. Maybe long travel, lack of sleep, and an abundance of stomach issues are to blame, but my patience is thinning after an entire November of attrition. We’ll see if the Knicks can restore the feeling with Toronto or if changes are on the horizon. Let’s talk about it after the Raptors game Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. In case you missed it, catch up on some of the analysis and fan reactions from when the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs!
