The New York Knicks’ nine-game win streak came to an end last night as they lost to the Phoenix Suns 110 to 118 at MSG.
The Knicks shot lights out from the opening tip, taking a 15-point lead in the first half. The Suns stayed close behind Devin Booker’s unconscious scoring and the steady hand of Chris Paul. Booker’s hot hand forced New York to double often, and the Suns’ role players stepped up while the Knicks cooled off. The game was a battle until the end, despite that eight-point margin. Paul hit a series of improbable late-game shots to seal the game and increase the lead right at the end.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett fought hard but struggled. Reggie Bullock and Derrick Rose continued their runs. Other role players made solid contributions as well. The Knicks played well but couldn’t quite keep up with the break-neck pace that Phoenix set. Let’s take a look at the hard-fought battle.
Struggling stars spell doom for the Knicks
Elfrid Payton: Elfrid Payton needed a game like this. The struggling point guard bounced back, and it started with assists and rebounds. Payton whipped a cross-court pass to RJ Barrett for three and then fed a dime to Nerlens Noel inside to get this game started. He was picky with his shot selection but effective when he drove. It was a nice reminder that the starting point guard can make things happen when he’s locked in. With the firepower in that starting line-up, Payton could benefit from a more playmaking-focused approach.
Payton still only played for 15 minutes because Rose was brilliant again. But Payton’s minutes were quality; he put up 7 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal without a turnover in that brief appearance. He shot 3/4 from the field and 1/2 from the free-throw line. The threat to pass made Payton’s trips into the paint more unpredictable. Deandre Ayton had to commit to his help defense to provoke a miss from New York’s starting point.
Payton found his rhythm by creating for others first and getting after some rebounds. He’s a better weapon when scoring is secondary to playmaking. With Thibs’ system focused on getting into the lane, Payton seemed to lose his balance between passing and attempting to score. This was a good example of striking that perfect balance and making a positive contribution. Payton scores an impact grade of 2.5 out of 5, which probably would have been higher with more minutes.
Reggie Bullock: Reggie Bullock hit two threes against weak closeouts to start his night. It set him up for a big first quarter, but foul trouble disrupted his offense the rest of the way. Bully demanded attention, scoring against any soft defensive efforts. He also forced Devin Booker to take some tough shots when the refs allowed it. Bullock lost time in the first quarter to foul trouble and barely played in the second for the same reason. He cooled in the second half, a product of more attention from defenders. Even then, he still hit some shots when defenders let up.
Bullock added 17 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in 29 minutes of action. He shot 6/11 from the field, 4/8 from three, and 1/1 from the free-throw line. That single turnover was a tough one. He threw an inbounds pass away in the final minute that would have given the Knicks a chance to come back. He was quality the rest of the way, though. Bully hit shots, moved the ball, and generally filled his role well. The foul trouble took some of the bite out of Bullock’s defense. He had to pull back and let Booker get some easy bunnies at times. But he still had Booker complaining to the refs after some forced turnovers.
This was a good performance that could have been even better. I wasn’t too mad about the whistles against Reggie Bullock, but then Julius Randle and RJ Barrett took a LOT of contact on their own forays inside. That makes it doubly frustrating to watch Reggie lose minutes. He was an excellent floor spacer and defender when the refs allowed him to be. Five more minutes would have made a world of difference. Bullock gets a 3 out of 5 for his positive impact.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett had a challenging game for several reasons. His jumper wasn’t quite on, and foul trouble for Reggie Bullock left RJ playing almost the entire first half. That meant Barrett spent extra time fighting to get inside against a tough Phoenix defense. He had some really nice moments, clever drives followed by overpowering ones. But the good came with plenty of mistakes and missed opportunities.
Barrett played a ridiculous 45 minutes, managing 17 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He shot 7/18 from the field and 3/9 from three. There wasn’t much of an in-between game for RJ. He was either trying to finish in traffic or launching from deep. He may not have trusted his jumper after missing some open ones from deep. It’s telling that he never drew a free throw. Phoenix put a lot of bodies around the sophomore but still managed to avoid fouling him inside…color me skeptical. The second half heroics never arrived in this one.
Barrett’s production isn’t bad, but it doesn’t match his minutes. I’m left wondering whether or not 5 more minutes to catch his breath would have actually meant better numbers. Barrett didn’t wear his fatigue with his body language, but his inability to turn things up in the second half was new. Credit is also due to Phoenix’s defense. They contained New York’s stars which made all the difference. Barrett gets a 2 out of 5 for his impact grade.
Julius Randle: Besides a third-quarter run, Julius Randle had a rough night. He couldn’t find his shot in the first half and lost his way in the fourth quarter when New York needed buckets. Randle was slow to attack double teams again. Oddly enough, the big man got himself into trouble but produced some of his nicest passes with defenders draped all over him. The Knicks’ star might have found more success by committing to attacks inside, but between double-teams and shot blockers, there wasn’t much room to operate.
Randle put up 18 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers in 38 minutes of action. He shot 6/18 from the field, 3/6 from three, and 3/4 from the line. His production was muted by comparison to what we’re used to. It didn’t help that his favorite floor spacer spent most of the first half with foul woes on the bench. The big man had a rare off night, and there wasn’t enough firepower to pick him up. It still blows my mind that an off night produces numbers like this.
I can’t complain too much after the past two weeks Julius Randle has had. He was due to have a tough night. My bigger issue is that he lapsed back into slower reactions to doubles. At his peak, Randle breaks double-teams by getting shots off before help arrives or making a quick pass. When he waits for shooters to get open instead of just hitting open players wherever they are, Randle runs into trouble, and the offense can stagnate. Randle was good, but not his typical great. He grabs an impact score of 2.5 out of 5.
Nerlens Noel: I wouldn’t say Nerlens Noel was bad, but he was far less visibly effective. We’re used to watching Noel create havoc with his defensive play. Phoenix did their damage on a heavy dose of jumpers that took the air from Noel’s usual impact. Both teams shooting lights out also meant less ability to impact the game on the glass.
Noel played 28 minutes and put up 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover on 2/3 shooting. That’s right, Nerlens Noel didn’t get a single block in this game. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The shot blocker wasn’t bad on defense, though. You could catch him doing the subtle things like a dig to help slow a ball-handler or a quick poke at the ball on drives. Phoenix just attacked in ways that muted Noel’s ability to grab momentum with defense.
I won’t beat a dead horse too much. Noel is almost always a player whose stats don’t tell the whole story. His presence in this game took a hit thanks to Phoenix attacking through their guards. But that didn’t stop the big man from doing a lot of small things that I want to see. It’s just that good defense meant unstoppable offense with Booker, Bridges, and Paul. When the Knicks are bad on defense, Noel’s impact inevitably dips. For a solid but muted outing, Noel gets a 2 out of 5 for impact.
Strong performances from the Knicks’ bench aren’t enough
Derrick Rose: Watching Derrick Rose’s duel with Chris Paul was peak nostalgia for me. Both point guards were brilliant, and Rose flashed playmaking at an even higher level than normal. The former MVP carved the defense up with beautiful passing from full-court outlet passes to drive and dish attacks. He made sure every mouth was fed even while his own offense appeared unstoppable at times.
Rose dropped 22 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 turnovers in 33 minutes. He shot 10/18 from the floor, 0/1 from three, and 2/2 from the free-throw line. He was clearly the best player for New York, whether on forays into the paint or creating for others. The second quarter of this game is must-see tv, all thanks to Rose. He didn’t let up either, providing the only consistent scoring in the fourth quarter. It was another great showing, but unfortunately lacked the help necessary to grab a win.
Rose’s leadership stands out more and more with each game. You might find Rose encouraging Obi Toppin to keep running hard and expect the ball or swinging a pass back to Immanuel Quickley because the rookie almost passed up a mismatch. He’s doing everything that we could ask for. Rose is drawing out confidence from young players and helping vets get into a rhythm. I’d like to see the Knicks jersey be the last one he ever has to wear. Rose nets a 4 out of 5 for his incredible performance and impact.
Immanuel Quickley: Immanuel Quickley had some incredible moments on offense, with enough defensive lapses to still have Tom Thibodeau screaming. The rookie turned a tip out from Taj Gibson into a three-pointer from Steph Curry-only range. Not long after that, IQ got an open look right at the line that felt like a foregone conclusion to go in. He didn’t just do damage shooting either. He hit a floater and had a nice lay-up on trips inside. That opened up some passing lanes, which he took advantage of as well.
IQ played 21 minutes, pumping in 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. He shot 4/7 from the field, 2/4 from three, and 1/1 from the free-throw line. The assists are especially promising. Quickley is spotting cutters for lobs on his trips inside. He’s always been good at drawing attention but hasn’t always responded well when bigs step up to deny a floater. He punished that extra step in this game by feeding Obi Toppin for a dunk and Derrick Rose for a lay-up. Those passes will make IQ an even tougher player to defend.
Maybe the passing has me overrating it, but I found Quickley’s performance incredibly promising. Ironically, his shot from a mile out felt familiar, but the consistent playmaking is what has me more excited. IQs never had trouble spotting an opening. Now he’s improving at creating for others in that space. His game was well-rounded and effective, despite some bad choices on defense. I think the uptick from no turnovers to 1 or 2 a night in the past four games is also a result of being more aggressive as a creator. Quickley nabs an impact grade of 3 out of 5.
Taj Gibson: Taj Gibson just kept doing what he does. The big man got in there, added some offense, and did some work on the glass. He didn’t completely overtake the Phoenix bigs as he has in some other games, but Taj worked and contributed all the same. The vet gave New York a necessary offensive boost.
In 20 minutes, Taj Gibson added 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. He shot 4/4 from the field, including a nice jumper when the Suns gave him space at midrange. It’s tough to write about Taj because he’s so consistent that I’m always saying the same things. The Knicks’ elder statesman is reliable as they come.
Gibson showed up and did his thing. His offense allowed him to maintain impact despite the Suns rendering New York’s bigs less impactful on defense. That meant where Noel’s impact took a slight dip, Gibson’s stayed on par with what we always get. You know what you’re gonna get when Taj hits the floor, goggles or no goggles. He picks up an impact grade of 2 out of 5 for the night.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin is showing signs of improvement. It helps that he has Derrick Rose to set things up. Rose is the only player that consistently rewards Toppin for getting out in transition. Obi is starting to use his athleticism to receive the ball with momentum toward the basket. He’s no the skittish rookie that passed the ball as soon as he touched it. Toppin played 10 minutes, dropping 6 points, 3 boards, and 1 steal on 3/5 from the field. He won’t see a bump in minutes while Randle plays such a crucial role, but the rookie is finally flashing the potential that got him drafted.
The last obstacle…beating contenders with Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: The Knicks came into this game locked in. Credit to Tom Thibodeau, his players were fired up to start the action and applied pressure on a tough opponent. The team might have even been too intense, picking up foolish fouls throughout the first half. I don’t blame Thibs when IQ and Rose close hard but foul shooters or for Bullock picking up foul trouble against one of the league’s most dynamic scorers. It shows that New York came in ready to give an extra effort, even if that sometimes backfired on them.
I found frustration with Thibodeau in his handling of RJ Barrett’s minutes. Thanks to Bullock’s foul trouble, the 20-year-old played almost the entire first half. There’s a conversation right now about Frank Ntilikina getting minutes to slow down Devin Booker. I doubt anyone stops Booker when he’s rolling like last night…but Frank or ANYBODY else could have given RJ Barrett 5 minutes to catch his breath and save his legs. Barrett shoulders a huge offensive load and found himself chasing around a monster scorer for huge chunks of game time without any breathers. It’s no wonder that RJ struggled to kick into a second gear late in the night.
The adjustment to Booker that Thibs made was to double fast and trap hard, letting other players try to beat New York…those other players stepped up and did their jobs. Mikal Bridges had a brilliant second half, Cam Johnson went from ice cold to consecutive threes, and Chris Paul hit some miraculous shots in response to the Knicks’ second-half adjustment. I still like the strategy. It just didn’t work out in this one.
Besides RJ’s minutes, my only complaint is that I wanted to see a challenge used on one of the more obvious missed calls. An Ayton tip-in should have been an offensive goaltend in the second half, and I’d have liked to get those two points back. It’s a minor quibble. To me, the problem of this game wasn’t Thibodeau. It was that the Suns got hot while Knicks’ stars never did. Thibs can’t do much about that. New York’s coach grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for his impact in the loss.
Closing Thoughts
The New York Knicks have shown us a lot throughout the season, especially through these last ten games. They’ve made comebacks late, held on to leads, and put opponents away when the opportunity presented itself. But the one thing they’ve lacked is the ability to close out a true contending team. They’ve taken the Nets, Sixers, and now the Suns into deep water. But when it comes to gut-check time, those teams have stars that have seen every kind of defense and every possible situation. New York’s young stars are still learning to walk with that sort of pressure.
Fourth-seeds don’t chase moral victories. I’m not about to celebrate “almost.” Yes, this team lacks the CP3/Booker combination, but the Randle/RJ tandem has beaten up on everyone but the best. New York has ten games left, with Denver, Phoenix, and both LA teams as four consecutive opponents. I want to split those four games or better. It’s a mountain to climb, the best out West. But the Knicks have proven that they belong with everyone else this season. The next progression requires becoming a valid threat to the contenders…and it would come just in time for the start of the playoffs.
Chicago is next on the schedule, and I feel like this one is destined to be a statement game. The Knicks can’t afford a letdown after the run that they’ve just had. They played too well to let their performance slip against a non-playoff opponent. I suspect they’ll come out with a lot to prove, especially Randle. These next two games with Chicago and Houston might seem insignificant, but they’re a chance to build momentum heading into the big West Coast adventure. I’ll be here to rock with y’all after the action, and I will be extremely hype or bitterly disappointed…I hope y’all join in, Knicks fam!
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