The New York Knicks almost blew the game. But the Knicks hang on to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-117 on the shoulders of RJ Barrett.
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The New York Knicks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans despite an uneven performance, winning by a score of 123 to 117. The Knicks took a double-digit lead in both halves, but the lackadaisical defense allowed the Pelicans to close the gaps.
The Pelicans often switched to a zone that confused Knick ball-handlers for spells, but also helped New York generate open three-pointers. It felt like the Knicks would let their guard down whenever they pulled away, but they overcame lazy defensive spells with lights out shooting.
RJ Barrett stole the show with the best game of his career. Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier added 9 threes to back him up. While the bench saw limited minutes, Taj Gibson’s play demanded extra time to compete. Let’s have a zoom-in on a win that came with some blemishes.
RJ Barrett takes over for the Knicks’ starting unit:
Kemba Walker: It seems like yesterday when we were stressing over if Kemba Walker’s offense could cover for his defensive woes. The New York native has hit 19 three-pointers in 3 games since struggling against Orlando. This performance might have been his most promising of all because Kemba was able to break down the defense and create off the dribble with more frequency. He’s looking comfortable in an off-ball role and picking his spots to explode and attack.
Kemba played 32 minutes, marked by 19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 6/11 from the field, 4/7 from three, 3/4 from the free-throw line. The diminutive point guard can punish defenders from three in virtually any situation. He flies through screens to pull up before defenders have a chance to close out. His jumper is opening the floor for everyone and finally started to create driving lanes for a slowing but savvy ball-handler.
Walker’s night did include some poor turnovers. He got lazy on a couple of deliveries, going through the motions when the lead started to balloon. The starters all seemed to go through lulls like that. He made up for those lapses by forcing turnovers in the passing lanes and tying his highest assist total of the season. Walker gets a 3.5 out of 5 for an efficient night with contributions across the box score.
Evan Fournier: It felt like Evan Fournier had to work harder for his buckets than usual. The Pelicans chased the Knick wing off his three-point mark and forced him to dribble inside or pump fake and reset. But it only served to make the Frenchman’s three-point shooting more impressive. While Fournier’s trips inside were a mixed bag, he buoyed his efficiency with three-point makes even while New Orleans chased him in earnest.
Fournier put up 19 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers in 37 minutes. He shot 6/14 from the field, 5/8 from three, and 2/2 from the line. The wing acquisition had some trouble beating the zone once he stepped inside the arc, making decisions a split-second too late to complete the plays. But any time the Pelicans three-point defense let up any space, there was Fournier capitalizing by draining the shot.
This wasn’t Evan Fournier’s best game by a long shot. I’m not saying that to insult his performance, though. Rather I want to highlight that even while struggling, our new wing was productive. I could even argue for Fournier deserving a few whistles on the dribble drives that ended with misses in traffic.
It wasn’t his best night, but Fournier was an impact player regardless and that nets him a 3 out of 5 for his night.
RJ Barrett: For every moment that it looked like the Knicks were going to let the game slip away, RJ Barrett had an answer. We saw flashes of this aggression when RJ played for the Canadian squad. He hit multiple step-back threes, threw dimes as the pick and roll ball-handler, and finished inside regardless of who was in front of him. So when I say RJ Barrett did everything well for this team, I’m not exaggerating about his dominance.
Barrett put up a ridiculous 35 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and just 1 turnover in 36 minutes. He shot 12/18 from the field, 6/8 from three, and 5/6 from the charity stripe. His scoring came at all three levels, with midrange pull-ups and right-handed drives making an even more versatile offensive package. He also threw multiple lobs to Mitch inside, threaded needles to Taj, and read kick-outs for shooters. Barrett got whatever he wanted from the defense, and single-handedly pulled New York out of some slumps.
When the press asked RJ about his game afterward, the 21-year-old lamented about playing bad defense. I don’t think he was any worse than the rest of his teammates, but that speaks to the kid’s mentality. He just dominated every facet of a victory and was still focused on areas for improvement. We’ve seen steady growth ever since drafting the youngster third overall, and he seems poised to keep delivering. RJ Barrett gets this season’s first 5 out of 5, and he’ll get more once he stops giving up backdoor cuts.
Julius Randle: For the first time in a long time, Julius Randle had bouts of looking disengaged with the action. Most notably, he was beaten down the court for an easy lay-up on a lazy trot back to defense. That’s not to say Randle was all bad, he was economical with touches and effective on the ball. But New Orleans forced the Knicks’ star to take a backseat offensively and this was the first time his frustration seemed to affect efforts elsewhere.
Randle still clocked 38 minutes, providing 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. He shot 4/9 from the field, 2/2 from three, and had a rare night of 0 free-throw attempts. The big man didn’t force much, playing selflessly against a mix of double-teams and swarming zone defenses. His offense was efficient, even if he was forced into a secondary role for most of the action.
There are plenty of reasons that the Knicks big man may have shown some lackluster defense. He played a heavy dose of minutes against a defense that was stacked in his direction. That could lead to some slowdown on the opposite end as our battering ram of a power forward gets some energy back. But we almost never see Randle have so many defensive mistakes that come down to effort, and that makes an otherwise solid night somewhat disappointing. Randle gets a 2.5 out of 5 on his night.
Mitchell Robinson: After stellar efforts against Joel Embiid and Nikola Vucevic, Mitchell Robinson finally ran into some kryptonite. Jonas Valanciunas attacked the Knicks’ big constantly and poured it on to keep the game close. Mitch still had his signature moments on offense, but the defensive anchor’s performance was missing its biggest feature. I don’t expect to see Robinson overwhelmed on defense often.
Robinson played 27 minutes, clocking 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He went 3/3 from the field on all dunks and hit 2/2 on his free throws. I think Mitch deserves credit for improving as a screen-man this year, which could be another mark of his added bulk. He’s found chemistry with every ball-handler in the starting unit, connecting for alley-oops and one-step dunks on a nightly basis.
The problem for Mitchell Robinson on this night was that he lost his match-up. Jonas Valanciunas was brilliant, shooting over our big and keeping him off balance when dribbling. It was the first time that Robinson’s less agile build seemed to hurt his effectiveness. I’m not concerned though, as I think part of this was a hot hand for Valanciunas who couldn’t seem to miss even when guarded well. Mitch still manages a 2.5 out of 5 on his night, because he had enough offensive presence to free-up shooters.
Taj Gibson anchors the Knicks’ bench again:
Derrick Rose: On his quietest night of the season, Derrick Rose put up a pedestrian stat line in limited minutes. Note that I’m not calling it his worst or anything negative, but just quiet. Rose didn’t get the minutes he normally does, and that affected how many opportunities he had to attack. The former MVP didn’t enjoy as much space to launch jumpers against New Orleans’ defense and their zone limited his ability to break things down. It meant a bigger night for Kemba Walker who can shoot inside a smaller window.
Rose got just 15 minutes, managing 5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, and 1 turnover. He shot 2/6 from the field and 1/2 from three. There’s not too much to get into, this looked like typical Rose but without the reps to start building momentum against defenders. He got to his spots and missed some shots that we know he’ll typically make. The former Bull was solid in his minutes, but quiet because he didn’t get many.
Seeing Derrick Rose put in light-work because his counterpart is balling is actually a good sign. The Knicks leaned heavily on Rose and the second unit last season. That crew doesn’t have to dig the team out of frequent holes or play extended minutes anymore. Half the time they’re on clean-up duty, mopping up opposing second units and turning a competitive game into a blowout. Rose didn’t get much time but grabs a solid bench performance score of 2 out of 5.
Immanuel Quickley: We got another night where Immanuel Quickley’s best attempt is the first one he takes. Quickley drove the lane for a nice lay-up before proceeding to miss all his looks after and provide little else. IQ did seem to work with fewer opportunities early in the shot clock than Burks, but they both got chances to create. Quickley did nothing with his looks and that saw his minutes cut.
IQ put up 3 points, 1 assist, and 1 turnover in 11 minutes. He shot 1/5 from the field, 0/2 from three, and 1/2 from the free-throw line. He’s got to find his three-ball to unlock the rest of his game.
Alec Burks: It felt like Alec Burks was dribbling the ball A LOT. He was aggressive in his attack, although the refs bailed him out from what would have been mistakes. The microwave scorer still saw his minutes trimmed below my performance-score threshold but he was productive in the time.
Burks managed 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers in just 13 minutes. He shot 3/6 from the field, 1/2 from three, and 3/4 from the charity stripe. It was an efficient night that felt less so because fouls bailed him out of trouble on a few possessions.
Obi Toppin: I don’t think there’s a great justification for Obi Toppin getting just 10 minutes in this game. His numbers aren’t anything special, but he barely got his feet wet and still managed to flash his high potential. Toppin’s motor was just what this team could have used as they bled away big leads with lapsing effort. That’s doubly true when Randle was the culprit for some of the team’s defensive woes and mishaps.
Toppin put up 1 point, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 2 blocks off 0/1 from three and 1/2 from the free throw line. His defense wasn’t an excuse to bench him here, Obi was good. One of his blocks came when speedster Kira Lewis attacked a would-be mismatch. Toppin being able to switch on a fast guard and stay with the ball-handler for a block screams “more potential on defense than we gave him credit for.” But Obi will need more time to realize any of his offseason gains.
Taj Gibson: As much as Jonas Valanciunas tortured the Knicks and as much as the Pelicans zone confused them, Taj Gibson had answers for both. Gibson chased Valanciunas to the bench early by outworking the tired big man for offensive boards. Then Taj did the same to the zone defense, getting easy rebounding position without defenders close enough to box him out. While everyone else in the second unit got their minutes clipped, Taj saw some extra time to work…it was well-earned.
Gibson played 21 minutes and put up 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 turnover. He shot 5/8 from the field, 0/1 from three, and 3/3 from the line. Gibson is really looking for that three-point shot from the baseline. He did all his damage inside during this game, but the veteran big’s willingness to take jumpers in space serves to help even when shots don’t fall. He filled the scoresheet up and forced Thibs to carve out more time.
While I praise Taj for his offensive game, his typical contributions were present as well. The big man added physicality and interior defense to bolster the bench unit. His five fouls are a testament to defensive effort, especially in a game the refs seemed confused about when to whistle. Taj went after everything and I don’t mind him picking up some fouls when other players could have used a similar effort. Taj gets a 3 out of 5 for leading the bench unit.
Finding a way to keep the Knicks engaged, a new challenge for Tom Thibodeau:
Tom Thibodeau: This is a new problem for Knicks’ fans, but the Knickerbockers are getting too comfortable when they pounce on teams. Defensive effort slips in a familiar fashion, happening right when New York is on the verge of putting opponents away. Instead of taking their opponents’ last desperate punches and curbing their enthusiasm, Tom Thibodeau’s players are consistently sliding letting the opposition back in.
I could wax poetic on why Obi Toppin needed more time or how timeouts might have helped shake New York out of their periodic random malaise. But I’m not sure Thibodeau could have solved much without more drastic measures. Punishing Randle after the Herculean effort he’s given every night before this would seem unfair when Thibs lets all his guys play through struggles. There aren’t tweaks to fix this, it’s a mindset problem that needs to be addressed.
So should we be worried? I’m not sure, because New York led for this entire game. The slip-ups haven’t come back to bite the team yet and you’d hope that they’re becoming more aware of the issue as it repeats itself over multiple games. It’s enough to dominate my recap of Thibodeau’s performance because there wasn’t a whole lot else for him to worry about. For another lapse in effort from his team, Thibs gets 2.5 out of 5 despite New York leading from start to finish.
Closing Thoughts:
Another day, another victory for New York’s hottest team. With the Knicks standing at 5-1, I’m tempted to think that my nitpicks are just that and nothing more. But everyone has noted how this crew routinely gets out to big leads and then watches them melt away. 6 games in we have seen New York completely outplay every single opponent, but wind up in neck-and-neck battles where things come down to the wire anyway. They’ve even stepped off the gas against division rivals and potential playoff opponents.
The next few games will bring in teams that I expect to push New York. The Raptors are a gritty squad, the Pacers always play New York tough, and the champs will be waiting in Milwaukee after that. Those are games where letting momentum slip can prove costly, so I’ll be watching closely in hopes that pressure will make some diamonds.
I should add that it is nice to watch a team where four different starters are a threat to lead the team in scoring on any given night. Teams can’t just focus on stopping Randle anymore, and they can’t predict who will punish them the most for doing so. The Knicks have the second-best scoring offense in basketball and that feels entirely sustainable as long as health permits. We’ll see if defensive consistency can catch up to the offense with Monday being the next look. I’ll see you there, 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, check out CP from KFTV and Jake Brown from the New York Sports Podcast interview with the legendary John Starks.
