The New York Knicks turned a 21-point deficit into a 15-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, winning 113 to 98.
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New York gave up 38 first-quarter points, focusing so heavily on Giannis that players like Grayson Allen and Jordan Nwora were left open enough to call it shooting practice. But the Knicks’ second-unit sparked the entire team, cutting a 40-19 deficit to 7 before the half ended. The defense finally kicked into gear in the second half, and New York stormed to a 21-point lead of their own before finishing up by 15.
Julius Randle found his form again while RJ Barrett continued his run of 20-point games. Derrick Rose was a spark for both the bench and starting units. We also got to witness a return to form from Immanuel Quickley and stellar defense from Nerlens Noel. Let’s have a closer look at how the Knicks found their mojo again.
RJ Barrett continues his leap with no one else to help in the Knicks starters
Kemba Walker: Kemba Walker’s struggles continued as he shot poorly and defended even worse. The Bucks caught Walker slow on rotations repeatedly with some miscommunications adding to the trouble. The New York native offered little resistance to slashers through screens or attacking off the dribble. His defense was porous all night and his offense didn’t make up for repeated mistakes.
Walker’s time was cut to 15 minutes. He shot 2/8 from the field and 1/5 from three for 5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, and 2 turnovers. He hit the inefficiency trifecta for me; fewer points than shot attempts, more turnovers than assists, and defensive mistakes that led to easy baskets for his match-ups. Tom Thibodeau did him a favor by ending Kemba’s night early.
The former all-star didn’t have it against the Bucks. He couldn’t hit shots, looked lost on defense, and rarely attacked from North to South. Walker settled for jumpers to no avail. The benefit of this roster is that on off nights, there’s a good chance to find back-ups that can pick up the slack. Walker gets a 1 out of 5 for a brutal night, but the good news is his teammates picked him up.
Evan Fournier: Speaking of the inefficiency trifecta, Evan Fournier almost pulled it off as well. Unlike Walker, I thought Fournier’s shots were predominantly good looks but he just couldn’t get anything to fall. The problem with the French wing’s jumper failing is that it takes away his ability to pump fake and work inside. That meant Fournier was invisible on offense and worse than that on defense.
Fournier played 25 minutes, tallying 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He shot 2/7 from the field, 1/6 from three, and 2/2 from the free-throw line. Fournier’s shooting wasn’t the only issue. His defense was just as bad as Kemba Walker. He lost Jordan Nwora repeatedly in the second quarter, giving up open looks and step-backs. He had a team-low +/- and while that stat doesn’t always provide a full picture, it’s an accurate summation of the Frenchman’s night.
There was a flash of good to go with the struggles though. As Nwora started to go off in the second, Fournier knocked down a three-pointer and then grabbed an offensive board and putback. The brief five-point run wasn’t great, but it did show the Frenchman didn’t want to be shown up. He struggled, but that sign of life was nice to see and just barely bumps his night to a 1.5 out of 5 performance.
RJ Barrett: The streak of 20-point performances continues. The Bucks forced RJ Barrett to work for every basket he got, but the third-year prospect improved as the game wore on. Second-half Barrett was in full effect as he attacked downhill and scored at the basket despite physical defense and multiple bodies in the way. The Bucks transition defense held our young wing at bay on fast breaks, but he still got his buckets in half-court sets.
Barrett played 39 minutes, shooting 8/21 from the field, 2/7 from three, and 2/2 from the charity stripe. He ended the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers. The top prospect spent some extended minutes with the second unit, and that combination proved lethal to Milwaukee. This is the fifth straight night that Barrett looks ready to lead his own unit if New York needs.
This was the toughest resistance that RJ has faced since his scoring run began. The Bucks were physical and the refs let both teams play through contact and pressure. Barrett didn’t have his jumper going consistently enough to create blow-by opportunities either. He still found ways to score through craft, strength, and savvy. Barrett gets a 3.5 out of 5 for willing himself to a big night.
Julius Randle: Julius Randle matched Barrett’s energy and then some. There were still a few fleeting moments where Randle dribbled too long or took a questionable shot. But he easily made up for his mistakes by attacking the rim, hitting the boards, and knocking down jumpers. Randle’s not shooting as well as he did last year, but his game has included more forays into the paint with good results.
Randle shot 11/22 from the field, 3/9 from three, and 7/10 from the free-throw line over a 33-minute span. He closed with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. He wasn’t great from three, but he made some timely shots and worked inside instead of settling. The big man powered his way through and over defenders on multiple occasions. Randle was a true star matching and outperforming a yearly MVP candidate.
As fantastic as RJ Barrett has been, this team seems to feed off of Julius Randle’s success. Randle’s presence creates openings for everyone else to attack. This performance is made more impressive by the fact that shooters struggled because it shows a pick-your-poison future for the offense. The Bucks stopped New York’s ranged attack, so Randle dropped 30 predominantly inside. New York’s star player gets a 4 out of 5 for a monster of a night.
Mitchell Robinson: Mitchell Robinson’s night ended early and that’s not because of injury. Robinson wasn’t bad but he was far from great. Milwaukee’s kick-outs limited the impact of Robinson’s interior defense. Whether we call it bad luck or not, Giannis also happened to hit his shots from range against Mitch.
Mitch played 21 minutes for 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 turnover. He went 1/2 from the field and 2/3 from the free-throw line. His stats speak to his night, it was an uneventful performance. Robinson’s teammates gave him plenty of double-team help against Giannis, and that left open shooters around the perimeter. I’d have liked to see teammates trust Mitch more to protect the interior and keep the MVP candidate at bay.
The early hook for Robinson wasn’t due to poor play. Nerlens Noel outplayed the starting center. Noel’s minutes displayed some of the areas where Robinson’s impact was lacking. Mitch didn’t disrupt ball-handlers at the point of attack, dropping too deep which might have to do with some lost mobility. I’ll repeat that Mitch wasn’t bad, but his game was forgettable and he receives a score commensurate to his backup minutes. Mitch finishes with 2 out of 5 for his performance.
Rose is the catalyst again off New York’s bench
Derrick Rose: The Knicks were lost until Derrick Rose entered the game. Rose hit the floor and almost immediately put pressure on the rim. If Rose wasn’t finishing at the basket, he was bending the defense out of shape and finding teammates instead. Where Kemba Walker settled for jumpers and perimeter play; Rose opened up the perimeter by forcing his way inside.
In 30 minutes, Rose put up 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals without a turnover. He shot a ridiculous 10/18 from the field, 2/6 from three, and 1/1 from the free-throw line. Rose pressed on a couple of his three-point attempts, but those shots added variety to his attack. The former MVP blew by defenders and exploded at the rim for floaters and lay-ups all game long. He was nothing short of brilliant, an unpredictable menace at every level.
Once Rose came in, he virtually didn’t leave the floor in either half. The former Bull was too effective to bench, creating openings for bench and starters alike. He was the driving force of the offense snapping out of its early doldrums. This is the second time before New York’s tenth game that Rose puts up a +/- over 30. Rose grabs a 4.5 out of 5 for his performance with his undeniable performance.
Immanuel Quickley: Immanuel Quickley’s scoring took time to come around in this performance, but he did everything else right and earned extra minutes. With more time to operate, IQ settled into his game and began to find floaters and even hit a difficult three-pointer to end the third. I mentioned in the last recap that our sophomore appears to be settling in and this game was another indication of improvement.
Quickley shot 4/9 from the field and 1/3 from three in 18 minutes of action. He ended his night with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. While his offense flashing is a nice development, Quickley’s defense deserves a nod. IQ locked in and provided energy on the perimeter that the starting unit lacked. He had multiple standout moments on defense and even met Giannis at the basket to help Randle at one point.
No one’s writing home about 9 points on 9 attempts, but there’s something promising here. Quickley hit a couple of difficult floaters with one going over Gianna along the baseline. IQ’s going to draw more attention if he can be aggressive and finish inside. He’s starting to check every box except for the jumper and I still feel optimistic that his range will reappear. IQ gets a 2.5 out of 5 for adding a little offense to a lot of everything else.
Alec Burks: Thanks to IQ’s improved play, Alec Burks had a shortened night of action. He was held scoreless in 13 minutes with a missed three-pointer for his only attempt. Burks finished with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal so the night wasn’t a complete bust. He simply ceded touches and minutes to a hot hand as Quickley emerged in the second half.
Obi Toppin: While Derrick Rose was the spark for the bench, Obi Toppin continues to impress for his motor as well. Toppin didn’t have a particularly productive night, but he still flashed by flying up and down the floor on every possession. The athletic big makes defenses sprint back every single time and his ball-handling is good enough to turn a defensive rebound into a lay-up all by himself. He was the second leading free-throw shooter despite limited minutes.
Toppin finally cracked 15 minutes and put up 6 points and 2 rebounds. He shot 1/5 from the field, 0/2 from three, and 4/4 from the line. Of course, this is the weakest stat line in awhile, during his first game to qualify for a performance score in just as long. Obi was better than those numbers suggest though. His motor alone is an energizing force and his sole field goal was a highlight-reel dunk.
I’ve spent more recaps demanding that Tom Thibodeau find more minutes for Toppin. This time around, that’s not the case. Obi got exactly as much time as he needed, especially considering how well Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel were playing. The Knick’s sophomore top-10 selection is showing plenty to like in his limited minutes. He’ll be ready to step up if the frontcourt struggles or the team needs energy. Obi gets a 2 out of 5 for his night.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens Noel was a spark for the defense just like Derrick Rose was for the offense. Noel is known for his shot-blocking ability, but it was his defense against ball-handlers that stood out most. The big man stepped up against pick and roll attacks, poking the ball loose or otherwise bothering ball-handlers. His efforts served to take away chances to drive and kept teammates from needing to collapse and help.
Noel played 24 minutes, shooting 2/2 from the field and 2/2 from the line. He finished with 6 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers. The big man bobbled a couple of passes, but we’re used to that by now. He added enough offensive rebounds and finishes inside to cover for dropped passes and offensive foul turnovers.
I’ve saved the best for last while recapping Noel, and that’s his defense against Giannis. Just as Noel made ball-handlers uncomfortable at the point of attack, he gave the Greek Freak problems in face-ups and post-ups alike. Noel played up against his defensive match-ups just like he did the screens. He trusted his agility to keep up with offensive attacks and the reward was a game-changing defensive performance. Noel gets a 4.5 out of 5 for his night.
McBride, Grimes, Knox, and Sims: The youngsters got a couple of minutes in garbage time but spent most of that in clock-kill mode. Knox did grab a couple of rebounds and get to the free-throw line for 1/2 attempts. Grimes missed a three-pointer and that was it for the youth unit. Their time will come, but it’s too early to rush them along.
Tom Thibodeau finds magic in the players he’s trusted all along
Tom Thibodeau: Tom Thibodeau got his team back on track, and his rotation choices played a role. He trimmed two starters’ minutes to keep Rose and Noel playing. Both second-unit players delivered in big ways. Thibs let IQ play through some early missing most likely thanks to defensive play and that worked out as well. Even Obi Toppin got a few extra minutes, though that one’s a bit cheaper since garbage time minutes were involved.
Thibodeau’s strategic adjustments across the night also proved effective. Big men stopped dropping so far against pick and roll ball-handlers, taking away space that allowed them to dribble inside and draw double-teams. That helped New York force a myriad of second-half turnovers which sparked easy fast-break buckets. It’s a small tweak that made a huge difference, the kind of simple fix that would be easy to miss if the results weren’t so eye-popping.
The Knicks’ return to form was driven by pieces off the bench. It’s not always easy for a coach to sit his starters thanks to egos and divas, but Thibodeau has players that accept their roles. His “next man up” mentality has helped New York through injuries in the past, but it also appears helpful for slumping players. For making the right adjustments and helping the Knicks get their swagger back, Thibs scores a 3.5 out of 5 on the night.
Closing Thoughts
I’ll admit that after the first quarter, I was ready to hit the panic button. The energy and defensive play was off-putting enough that four quarters of that mess would have left me reeling like many fans were after Indiana. But instead, we got a testament to New York’s depth as the bench completely changed the game’s trajectory. That depth is obviously part of the architecture or this team, so let me wax poetic on the construction of this roster.
Kemba Walker has had some rough nights, but we expected that to be the case. He made sense as an addition because Derrick Rose could always come in and cover for him on nights like that. The same can be said of Nerlens Noel covering for Mitchell Robinson; having two capable defensive anchors helps cover for injuries with one shot blocker being more stout against big bodies while the other has the mobility to address quicker attacks. Each starter has a doppelgänger of sorts to cover for bad nights (RJ Barrett is the exception but it’s hard to replace a third overall pick’s style and contributions with a bench value contract).
The Cavaliers are coming to town next and they’re riding a surprise start to the season. Cleveland is on a three-game win streak playing a very big line-up. The Knicks struggle with big bodies, gravitating too far inside to help and leaving shooters open. It will be nice to see them have a chance to address that against a young, hungry opponent. The East doesn’t have many easy opponents anymore and that’s all the more reason to appreciate our team that’s built with depth for a marathon. I’ll see you after the battle with the Cavs Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors and recaps throughout the 2021-22 season! And in case you missed it, catch CP The Franchise’s recent appearance on WFAN with Moose and Maggie below:
