The New York Knicks (19-18) will enter the All-Star break with a winning record after beating the Detroit Pistons 114 to 104.
Although the Knicks didn’t break away until the second half, the game always felt under control. From start to finish, this felt like watching a superior team put together a quality performance.
Julius Randle continued his star run. RJ Barrett was a perfect compliment. Meanwhile, Elfrid Payton added some much-needed dribble penetration to the offensive recipe. This was a great way to bounce back from a disappointing game against San Antonio. Let’s take a peek at how it went.
New York’s starters form like Voltron and take over
Elfrid Payton: Elfrid Payton returned in the nick of time to provide the Knicks with a lead ball handler. Without Derrick Rose, the Knicks had lost all semblance of rhythm against the Spurs. Payton brought the leadership, ball handling, and most importantly, dribble penetration that New York needs to succeed. The point guard’s fresh legs may have helped to an especially efficient night that included a three-pointer and more trips to the line than we typically expect.
On 35 minutes of action, Payton produced 20 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers. He shot 7/14 from the field, 1/2 from three, and 5/6 from the free-throw line. He was just as effective as his production and efficiency suggest. Payton spent the entire night in the paint, drawing attention from defenders that meant more opportunities for Randle and Barrett to attack.
This was a nice reminder of Elfrid Payton’s value to the Knicks. Immanuel Quickley was cold again, and Frank Ntilikina looks like a quality wing but no lead ball handler. That made Payton especially crucial as he put together a big night. We saw Randle asked to do too much, and Barrett contained by added attention in San Antonio. Elfrid Payton alleviated a lot of that (yes, I know playing the Pistons helped also). He gets a 3.5 out of 5 for impact score.
Reggie Bullock: It was a rough game overall for Reggie Bullock, but he did make some plays at important intervals. Reggie hit a big second quarter three and played some two-man game with Randle in the third quarter. He just scattered a lot of misses between the good. He got a lot of open looks and missed some potential momentum changers. Luckily, the rest of the starters were hot.
Bullock spent 33 minutes accumulating 12 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal. He shot 4/13 from the field, 2/9 from three, and 2/3 from the line. If you’ve seen Bullock play, you know he generally passes out on closeouts. He only shoots with ample space, a fact that held even on his 9 attempts. Reggie was just off.
On the bright side, Bullock still provided quality defense. He’s always reliable on rotations, and there are subtleties to his contributions. But the subtlety also means that when his three-pointers aren’t falling, he’s not doing enough to warrant big minutes. He was solid, but that’s quite a few minutes and attempts for the numbers he managed. Bullock gets a 2 out of 5.
RJ Barrett: Early in the night, RJ Barrett pump-faked a defender out of his shoes then picked up an assist to Nerlens Noel. It was a lovely indication of the type of night the maple mamba would put together. He was smooth as can be, manipulating the defense to pick up assists between hitting jumpers and finishing strong inside.
Barrett put together 31 minutes for 21 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 turnovers. He shot 9/13 from the field, 1/2 from three, and 2/2 from the free-throw line. If he caught the defense leaning, it was a wrap. RJ would glide into the lane and finish emphatically or find a cutter. He could still improve anticipating open players on the perimeter, but he has really mastered feeding his bigs. It feels like we get a lob a day from Barrett; it’s almost as clockwork as his euro-step finishes in transition.
It was an “everything is coming together” kind of night for RJ. The trio of Barrett, Randle, and Payton seemed to strike a perfect balance for efficiency. That doesn’t mean they always made the right choices, but mistakes were spread out between impressive scoring runs. Barrett specifically felt like he was making all the right choices. He nets a 4 out of 5 for impact.
Julius Randle: While Elfrid Payton and RJ Barrett had strong games, Julius Randle still stood as the team’s star. I can’t overstate that a Randle can beat a team virtually any way he chooses. He can attack an isolation from face-up or post. His jumper has enough range to hurt teams as an off-ball threat and space the floor for his guards. Is the team focusing too much on him? Then watch him drive and draw traffic only to kick the ball out over his shoulder to a wide-open Reggie Bullock. If all of that fails, he’s liable to grab a defensive board and go coast to coast for points.
The Knicks’ All-star played for 42 minutes, scoring 28 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists to 3 turnovers, and adding a block. He shot 11/19 from the field, 1/4 from three, and 4/6 from the charity stripe. It really is notable that Randle puts up big rebounding numbers and can turn any rebound into a quick transition. There was a patient feel to his production even with the gaudy statistics. He knew his teammates were hot and let those players cook; it only made his own possessions easier.
I’m still not done singing the praises of our Allstar. Randle had a tough game defensively against the Spurs but bounced back nicely with Detroit. He added a nice block in the fourth quarter that sparked a transition and had some nice rotations and closeouts throughout the game. The fourth quarter was a bit of a block party for the Knicks. Add Randle’s defense to an undeniable stat-line, and Randle finishes with a 4.5 out of 5. As a side note, his Reputation article in the Player’s Tribune should be required reading for Knicks fans (and Kobe fans too). It’s a joy to read and made me a bigger fan of Randle than I already was.
Nerlens Noel: The lone healthy Knicks Center continues to fight hard and provide an interior presence nearly all game long. Nerlens Noel didn’t get many breaks, making it easy to spot his positive impact. His defense started below the rim, poking loose balls free for steals even when guys like Plumlee tried to post-up. He added another blocked dunk to his reel as well, denying Doumbouya at the rim in emphatic fashion. He even caught some tough passes for dunks, although his hands are still the most obvious weakness in his game.
Playing 42 minutes like Randle, Noel put up 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 turnovers. He was a perfect 5/5 from the field and 2/2 from the line. I like the Noel doesn’t always try to finish lobs immediately. He’ll sometimes collect the pass and use a second jump to finish. That’s a necessary evil because he’s just as liable to swat a nice pass as he is a lay-up attempt, it doesn’t matter which team the pass or shot comes from. Noel is a forcefield all to himself.
The shot blocker continues to impress with a motor that doesn’t go away after 40 minutes. He’s not really the guy you want out there for so long, mainly because of offensive limitations and some mobility issues. But Noel’s effort level alone makes up for most deficiencies. The Knicks don’t have a big man to cover when he’s out right now. I’m truly looking forward to when Mitchell Robinson returns, and we get 48 full minutes of defensive terror in the middle. Noel grabs a 3 out of 5 despite his shoddy grip strength.
Just enough production from the Knicks’ quiet second unit
Immanuel Quickley: So Immanuel Quickley had a bad game…can we skip this? No? Well, alright then. IQ had a tough night, and it’s not like he didn’t get some pristine looks, but the shots didn’t fall. This was another example of a team denying the floater and turning Quickley into a perimeter player. When he’s not getting dribble penetration, the rookie loses a big dimension to his game. With the jumper not falling, he couldn’t pull defenders close enough to fly by or draw fouls either. Nothing really worked quite like it should, a rookie game from the rookie.
IQ played just 13 minutes for no points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He shot 0/4 on all three-point attempts. You know it’s a bad game when Immanuel Quickley never gets to the free-throw line. He did have a really slick fourth-quarter pass that I’ll highlight. He dribbled through the screen right and anticipated the defense closing out the middle, so he threw a cross-court jump pass to a wide-open Alec Burks. Burks missed, but it was a beauty of a would-be dime.
Under 13 minutes means no impact score for Quickley. The break comes at a good time as his consistency has been slipping, and I think both fatigue and defensive adjustments play a role. Some time to rest and watch film ought to help IQ regain the momentum he had for most of the first half of the season.
Alec Burks: Forgive me for this; I found Alec Burks’ presence forgettable in this one. That’s not to say he didn’t do anything. Burks had one of my favorite drives of the game, a pass fake to a lay-up through the opening he created. He also used dribble penetration to pick up some nifty assists. He gave the bench a much-needed boost with Quickley’s struggles. But something about the performance just never clicked for me.
For 20 minutes of floor time, Burks managed 9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. He shot 4/9 from the field and 1/3 from three. It’s the best production from anyone off the bench. But there was an element of “make one, miss one” to all Burks’ possessions. For every nice shot, he’d step past his man and brick a floater. He never got off to a streak of made shots that would bump his game to another level.
Like the second unit as a whole, Alec Burks gave the Knicks just enough. He provided just enough production to get a few extra minutes of rest for the starting wings. The starting unit still took up the lion’s share of minutes, but Burks managed to add something in their absence. That said, I still can’t shake the feeling that he should have had a better game. It felt like this one was his for the taking, same as Payton, RJ, and Randle. Regardless though, Burks gets a 2 out of 5 on impact.
Frank Ntilikina: The Frank Hive was buzzing after the first-half. Frank Ntilikina fed off Julius Randle’s gravity and screen setting for the second straight game, unleashing a series of consecutive threes that had everyone fired up. His jumper continues to look like the real deal as he hits it off the dribble, off the catch, and after jab steps as well. Add that shot to his already high-level defense, and we officially have an NBA quality player…he’s still young too.
A second-half slowdown meant that Frank’s game ended with just 13 minutes of work. He finished with 9 points on 3/3 from the field and 3/3 from three. The goose eggs across the rest of the board are bad news. He played almost entirely off-ball, and when he wasn’t receiving kick-outs, he wasn’t impacting the offense. He’s locked in a 3 and D role, but to earn a bigger role would require the ability to affect more areas of the game.
Like IQ, Frank comes in below 15 and gets no impact score. The good is that his defense is still a joy to watch. He’s shooting with more confidence than I’ve ever witnessed. Frank had a smirk after his first made that really spoke to it. But the bad is that he vanished once players stopped hitting him in the corners. He was solid but could have earned more minutes by being more assertive.
Obi Toppin: Even with the lack of bigs, Obi Toppin hasn’t been able to break through for more minutes. I think San Antonio proved he probably isn’t ready for a bigger role. But even in the brief stints we get, you’ll catch hints of the New York native’s potential. When Obi gets the ball with momentum into his gather, he can finish from almost any angle.
Toppin played for 12 minutes, going 2/2 for 4 points, 2 boards, and 1 turnover. Obi was a problem when he got the ball in motion. Other than that, he was mostly a casual observer. I’ll say it in every recap; I want a couple of post-ups a night from Toppin.
No score for Obi Toppin yet again. He looks like a lost rookie at times, but it’s important we remember that his role doesn’t suit his skill set. He’s learning many new skills that he didn’t use or need in college. This feels almost like a redshirt season after missing most of the preseason and training camp. The rookie may be a bit older, but he’s raw where he’s being asked to produce. We might have a different feeling about the lottery pick if he played post-up, screen setting, rim running basketball more often. He’d certainly look more ready.
Coach Thibodeau’s the type to watch game film at the beach
Tom Thibodeau: This Pistons game is probably a bigger deal to us Knicks fans than it would be for others. We’ve watched the Knicks play down to competition for so long that comfortably beating a bad team never feels like a foregone conclusion. Watching New York pick up the win without missing a beat speaks to their new coach. His team is always prepared to play. They seldom get blown out, and if their opponent lets up, they run away with the game. Thibs has this team playing how a good team is supposed to, that’s no big deal for most, but it’s rare air for Knicks fans.
The decision-making in this game is tough to question. The Knicks skated to a win. While youth got benched, they earned their benching. The starters played strong basketball, and the second unit looked flat in the second half. Thibs probably could have afforded those youngsters more time, but locking down the win was meaningful. He sends his boys into the break with a winning record instead of a losing streak. I would have liked a few more minutes for Frank…but I’m a card-carrying hive member, so maybe it’s just me.
I’m giving Thibodeau a cheat score. Typically, this is a game with very few tough choices to make, so I’d put a lid on the impact ceiling. You can’t have much impact when you’re not required to do much. But it has been a joy of a first half of the season to watch. Preparation and mindset are what sets this team apart from some prior disastrous rosters, and the way they handled business with the Pistons reflects that. Screw it; Thibs is getting a 5 out of 5 because this win reminded me of the difference he and his staff have made all year.
Closing Thoughts
This is undoubtedly the best feeling we’ve had riding into an All-star Break in years. It’s the latest the Knicks have had a winning record since 2013. The Garden has just reopened to a portion of the fans, which has injected new life into an already hype season. We have an Allstar, a rookie of the year candidate, a Rising Star, and that’s not to mention our cap space and multiple draft picks for this offseason…all while we break to celebrate the midway point from a 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. I bring this all up because there are a gang of buzzkills in the media trying to make a mockery of fans enjoying winning.
I never realized that celebrating a win on the way out of an arena was unacceptable until some ESPN and Fox Sports News suits decided to work on their tight five at our expense. The jokes are clear reaches, cringe-worthy attempts to get attention by swinging on enthusiastic fans. They couple nicely with the slew of completely random superstar name drops that national media figures keep suggesting for the Knicks. We’re not falling for Doncic, Booker, or Beal rumors. Knicks fandom can get tough when the team is bad, but we’re not about to let the media ruin our good time when the team is winning.
That energy is pervasive in the CP vs Max Kellerman clip. A true fan speaking to the present-day success of the team while a hater tries to equate media treatment with fandom. I don’t know if it sucks to work the beat at MSG, but I know what the Garden is like for a fan. There are only two places I’ve ever felt magic in real life, and neither one is Disney. I felt the ghosts of October at the old Yankee Stadium, which is now gone. The other place I’ve felt the magic is the Garden when the Knicks are good. Hell, I’ve felt that magic in a down-season when Jamal Crawford hit a St. Paddy’s Day buzzer-beater.
New York is built different. We’ll celebrate with the same bravado we’re famous for in all other walks of life. Forget the haters and enjoy this while we’ve got it! They might laugh at loyalty, but that’s not our problem. We’ll keep showing love for our team, whether they’re the best or not, as long as they continue to be the hardest working squad around. Let’s enjoy our All-star break, chant MVP for our star, and give a King’s welcome to every player that gives us this fleeting sense of hope for the future.
