The New York Knicks tried to stage a comeback, but it was too little too late as they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 113-116.
Portland got off to a fast start, dropping 70 points in the first half for a 20-point lead. New York’s defense wasn’t as important as the law of averages in a second half where the Blazers got plenty of open looks but missed. The Knicks’ offense finally found enough shooting to punish a zone defense, but the deficit was too high and the clock too short to recover from completely.
The Blazers’ zone defense successfully quieted the Knicks’ most consistent performers on the season. It left Julius Randle frustrated and kept both RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson quiet. But in the absence of those players’ scoring, Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley stepped up. On the defensive side of things, Austin Rivers gave the defense a shot in the arm with his efforts against Damian Lillard. That leaves a silver lining in an otherwise frustrating loss. Let’s have a closer look at the Knicks’ night.
New York Knicks’ starters struggle with the zone, but for their lone shooter
Elfrid Payton: A running theme for this season is that Elfrid Payton can’t break a zone defense. He doesn’t have the jump shot to keep it honest and traffic in the lane keeps his interior scoring at bay. This round had the added gut punch of Damian Lillard going off for 39 points although that’s not all on Payton. Lillard’s fresh legs meant unlimited range all night. The bigger issue is that Payton couldn’t muster any kind of response whether that was scoring back, getting physical or denying Dame the ball.
The struggles on both ends saw Payton’s minutes cut late. He played 24 minutes for 8 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a turnover. The Knicks’ lead guard shot 3/8 from the field, 0/2 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. His three-point bricks were wide open, one during the late push for a comeback. There weren’t any big moments for the point guard. It was a night of attrition that deservedly ended early.
Payton’s inability to find a positive impact drops his performance grade to a 1 out of 5. I almost gave him leeway out of sympathy for the Lillard match-up. Dame on a week’s rest is an unfair assignment for anybody. But the problem is that Austin Rivers came in and did a much better job defensively. That goes ditto for IQ handling the zone defense. We saw clearly that there were better solutions for the problems the Knicks faced than Payton could provide.
Alec Burks: It took a couple of games to get his rhythm, but Alec Burks was back to being a Knicks’ gunner against Portland. The guard got a start due to Reggie Bullock’s injury and attacked the zone with a three-point barrage. He was every passer’s favorite target. That had a negative impact on RJ Barrett’s night but was also a necessity against the Blazers’ constant zone defense. When the Knicks looked doomed to lose by 30, Burks made a flurry of plays that took back momentum and gave New York a fighting chance.
Burks spent 27 minutes accumulating 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 turnovers. He shot 6/9 from the field, 5/8 from three and 1/2 from the free throw line. The scoring guard was efficient with his touches. He made the most of outsized attention that was given to Julius Randle and other interior attackers. The beauty of Burks’ game is that when he’s chased off the line, he’s effective off the bounce. I’d love to see an extra assist or two, but the defense let Burks have open looks and he took advantage the best way possible.
For 2 points per attempt and a comeback sparked, Burks gets a 4 out of 5. He was back to the smooth scoring, quick trigger shooter that we saw in the earliest portion of the season. Chemistry with the starting unit wasn’t exactly there though. We saw some rotation lapses that don’t happen as frequently with Bullock communicating out there. Burks’ emergence also conspicuously came with RJ Barrett’s role reduced. None of that is to take away from a very good performance, but there are tradeoffs to keep an eye out for.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett saw fewer opportunities and minutes against Portland. He made do with limited touches by providing some impressive drives to the basket, especially in the third quarter. But on both ends of the floor, we saw a much more muted game compared to the recent tear that RJ has been on. He didn’t have the space to drive into and his ranged game was lacking rhythm behind his inconsistent touches. So RJ was kept quiet, but for some clever moments scattered through the night.
Over the course of 23 minutes, Barrett managed 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists with no turnovers. He shot 4/9 from the field, 0/2 from three and never made it to the free throw line. The low turnovers, assists, and free throws all speak to RJ getting few touches in the offense. He was still in attack mode on touches he did receive. RJ’s best play came on an assist he whipped to Burks from across the floor for three. On the worrisome side, he missed both his three pointers and a midrange jumper. He didn’t get enough attempts for that to be very meaningful yet, but the jump shot watch continues.
For the night, Barrett receives a 2 out of 5. As light as his stat-line looks, the Maple Mamba wasn’t so much bad as he was relegated to third or fourth option. The young prospect still managed a lovely assist and some clever forays into the lane. There were a couple of occasions where Barrett found open space on the floor, but his movement wasn’t rewarded. That leaves him with a solid score despite the quiet night.
Julius Randle: This was the rare game where Julius Randle’s success might have been offset by his mistakes. The Knicks’ leader had some especially nice moments on defense late, where he exploded into hard doubles that helped force multiple turnovers. But Randle offset those steals with reckless drives directly into a 7-foot defender. Randle’s approach of attacking Kanter made sense, but he tried to overpower the big man with force and little else. The repeated failure on those drives proved costly.
Randle’s 33 minutes were marked by 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists to 5 turnovers and 2 steals. He also fouled out of the game in a rush to stop the clock. The big man shot 7/18 from the field, 1/1 from three and 10/11 from the free throw line. The crowded paint meant less shooting efficiency but plenty of free throws for the power forward. Randle still had some very nice scores in mid-range and on downhill drives though and he deserves credit for feeding the hot hand when Burks was going off.
The mixed efficiency dips Randle’s score a bit to a 3 out of 5. The jumpball fest that sparked from Randle’s late drives right into Enes Kanter isn’t helping his cause. Still, for one of his most mistake-laden performances, this was a solid game out of Randle. He was productive and drew enough attention to free up shooters all night. As much as poor shooting has to do with it, Randle is the real driving force of the frequent zones the Knicks are facing. He’s unstoppable in isolation and that means players that can shoot will eat when they share the floor with Randle.
Mitchell Robinson: I can’t shake memories of Mitchell Robinson’s outstretched hands as shots fly just above his reach and into the basket. Mitch played with good effort and challenged plenty of shots but didn’t have his usual success. The Blazers fresh legs and ability to shoot from anywhere meant that the Knicks’ shot blocker’s good defense faced better offense. The same zone defense that slowed Randle and Barrett also meant fewer lobs and looks inside for Mitch on offense.
For his 26 minutes of action, Robinson provided 8 points and 9 rebounds. The fact that he had no blocks or steals is noteworthy only because Mitch always finds a block or steal somewhere in his time. The Blazers were incredibly elusive. Mitch shot 4/7 from the field but managed to get blocked at the rim twice by Robert Covington. The big man’s game was all solid, but clearly muted.
For a good effort with decent results, Mitch gets a 2.5 out of 5. There’s not much to blame the big man for when Damian Lillard is hitting tear drops with rainbow arcs. Robinson got to the places he needed to be and challenged the shots he was supposed to, but shooters made shots anyway. This one wasn’t a bad game, but the Knicks’ center saw his impact reduced compared to most nights.
Quivers brings an impact to the New York Knicks’ bench
Immanuel Quickley: The biggest impact of the night came from Immanuel Quickley. The rookie guard ran roughshod over the zone defense by raining down three pointers, driving the lane and drawing fouls. He also picked up some nice assists despite some missed dunks by teammates. Quickley played brilliantly enough to stay on the floor throughout the fourth quarter and probably should have entered the game earlier in the second half. He was that good.
IQ put up 31 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds with 1 turnover in just 24 minutes of action. He shot 9/18 from the field, 5/8 from three and 8/8 from the free throw line. Wherever he had room to shoot, Quickley made the basket. The guard made shots of varying difficulties and did his damage all over the floor, he even had a post-up to turn around jumper at one point. The young man was unstoppable. He scored more than twice as much as the rest of the bench rotation combined.
Quickley nets a 4.5 out of 5 on the back of his thirty bomb. The raw production is lovely, but it’s the fact that he put that up on insane efficiency in such short time that truly highlights his impact. IQ should have broken 30 minutes of action last night. The Knicks might have won the game if he had. Another noteworthy aspect of the performance is that in both halves, IQ logged minutes with the starters. His impact was muted in the first half with all four starters, but he was spectacular in a fourth quarter run with backcourt partner in Rivers and three starters. RJ was left on the bench though.
Austin Rivers: There are many occasions where I point out that a player’s production isn’t enough for the playing time they were allotted. Austin Rivers managed to reverse that trend. The second unit guard posted meager numbers across his stat-line. That only hides how much value he brought to the floor. Rivers followed up Elfrid Payton in trying to stop Damian Lillard, who had taken the form of the red Monstar in Space Jam. Rivers wasn’t always successful but through a mix of ball denial and outright physicality, he did manage to reduce the damage. That was a more meaningful contribution than anything that shows up in his numbers.
Defense kept Rivers on the floor for 29 minutes despite humble production of 3 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 turnovers. He shot 1/3 from the field on all three-point attempts. I got a sense of waning confidence from our typical gunner. Rivers passed up some pretty good looks in search of a perfect one. Those passed opportunities ended with late shot clock forces for other players. We need to get the chip back on his shoulder offensively to go with his defense. He can make clutch shots when he’s rolling.
It’s no surprise that Rivers game score outpaces his production. He closes with a 2.5 out of 5 for impact. That might look crazy since Lillard went for 39 points, but the night and day comparison between the resistance that Rivers provided compared to Payton was incredible to witness. Dame drops 50 without a player forcing the ball out of his hands with pressure and effort. Only Rivers did that much with any sort of consistency.
Kevin Knox: Even though he’s still playing with confidence, we’re not getting the production from Kevin Knox that we were seeing prior to the expanded rotation. He can’t blame circumstance or opportunity either. Knox got his looks and got his touches. Knox missed those looks though. Without his three-ball, Knox doesn’t have a second go-to ability yet.
Knox played for 18 minutes and managed 2 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound. He shot 0/3 on all three-point attempts. His brought legitimate effort and confidence despite a meager output. The young wing didn’t make bad decisions with the ball. He also helped create a turnover with defensive hustle. But he’s still finding his way when pressed off the three-point line.
Unfortunately, this performance lacked impact despite a commendable effort. Knox left with a 1.5 out of 5. I still look at the prospect’s performance and see flashes to build-on but they’re still only flashes. Without Knox knocking down the open looks that he gets, he’s got to be productive in other ways. That means more rebounding to spark transitions. It means better drives into the paint that result in points, assists or fouls. The foundation is there for Knox to be productive.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin is just getting his feet wet and that’s important to keep in mind. The rookie got limited time. He rushed to do a bit of everything in that span. His results weren’t great but he’s learning in fifteen-minute increments at best. That means we’ll witness comfort building in slow motion for the time being.
Toppin ran for just 15 minutes. He managed 4 points, 3 boards and 1 turnover on 2/5 from the field. Obi missed two three-point attempts but did knock down a midrange jumper from closer in. The rookie is taking his open shots in rhythm but they aren’t falling yet. He’s not ready for a bigger role, having started the season hurt and now playing catch-up.
I’m not discouraged at Toppin’s prospects moving forward, but his performance left plenty to be desired at the present. The rookie big gets a 1.5 out of 5 for having little positive impact to contribute. He’s in a similar boat to Knox. I see the rookie trying to make things happen and I suspect that as nervous energy fades, we’ll see a more productive player emerge.
Nerlens Noel: There’s a lot of subtlety to the contributions that Nerlens Noel makes on any given night. It’s easy to miss that he’s accumulating defensive rebounds at a wicked pace; or that his rim protection often starts by forcing a pick-up earlier than the ball handler would have liked. Noel doesn’t do himself any favors though when his mishaps tend to be of the glaringly obvious variety. He’ll do five sneaky good things then drop an easy pass, mishandle a putback or whiff on a lob that all but erases the nice memories. So Noel’s season goes, with mostly nice performances that scatter some ugly mistakes as his most memorable highlights.
After 22 minutes, Noel left the floor with 6 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 3/6 from the field. That all looks solid and his performance reflects as much. Noel did a lot of good in his time on the floor. But of course, the standout moment for the back-up center came when he botched an alley-oop in the fourth quarter when New York desperately needed every basket. He tried to put it down with one hand and never got the ball under control…the guy’s got stonehands. That’s a good attribute for a boxer, not a big man.
Despite the lowlight moment, Noel had an overall good game for a back-up. He was solid on defense and even provided a baseline jumper at one point. The big man gets a 2 out of 5 for solid but unspectacular contributions that weren’t without some obvious blemishes. If this guy could catch, he’d average a few more points every night.
Better minutes distribution, same results as the Knicks remain a step away
Tom Thibodeau: I’ve come down pretty hard on Tom Thibodeau for sticking to his comfort blanket vets too long in most efforts. But I have to give the Knicks’ coach some credit for sticking with his back-up guards during a fourth quarter comeback. Thibs stuck with IQ and Burks for spacing and trusted Rivers on defense against Lillard. That meant RJ Barrett to the bench, but this is the rare occasion where I wasn’t mad at that decision. Dame went off on everybody else and Rivers earned more minutes with his effort and intensity. I don’t mind seeing effort rewarded.
That said, it’s still a source of frustration to look at IQ’s 30-point outburst next to 24 minutes played. Thibs staying steadfast to his initial rotation meant that Quickley didn’t get on the floor early enough in the second half. Thibodeau may have trusted players once they got out there, but it took him too long to put those players on the floor. On the bright side, minutes distribution was fair and starters actually got themselves extra rest for a change.
Thibs gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his coaching in this one. The Blazers were on extremely fresh legs and that made defense almost impossible at times. Thibodeau still kept his team motivated and fighting. The Knicks went down by as many as 25 points, but their refusal to go away warrants some praise. It was enough to pull an average score for the head coach.
Closing thoughts: Well now the West Coast trip is scary again. The Knicks are 1-2 so far with the streaking Utah Jazz up next. That’s a tough one because the Jazz will want revenge after the Knicks won their first meeting. I’m not ready to drop the good will that New York’s competitive nature has produced yet though.
Immanuel Quickley just dropped 30 in 24 minutes. Burks is back to form which means the Knicks have enough shooting to counter a zone defense for a change. The rotation expansion has meant chemistry issues show up, but it hasn’t broken the team. I think we’re in for a nice bump in performance from everyone as comfort develops.
So we ride into one more late night game that takes place across the country. The Knicks have fought throughout this trip and the youngsters are continuing to learn and grow. We’ve got a competitive team now; the next step is to have a winning team. I don’t know that New York will take that next step without one more roster move. We can continue that evaluation with Utah and the return home that follows.
