The New York Knicks started slow but got it together in time for an overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies 133 to 129.
The Knicks started slow, getting outworked by a young and hungry Grizzlies side. But New York’s second unit kept the game competitive, contributing more than 70 points to the victory. Their bench picked up the starters, and the stars came through in the clutch.
The Knicks have struggled at the end of close games, but RJ Barrett’s late-game heroics ensured that they wouldn’t suffer another letdown. Julius Randle struggled but forced his way to a triple-double. Both Randle and RJ started slow, while Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant applied pressure on the other side of the floor. It took key contributions from almost every role player to keep the game within reach for New York’s leaders to kick into gear. Let’s look at the hard-fought, sometimes frustrating run to a much-needed win.
Making up for a nightmarish start by finishing strong
Elfrid Payton: Elfrid Payton dropped timely buckets but struggled elsewhere in his reduced time on the court. The Knicks’ point guard was their only starter to finish the game without an assist and got torched by Ja Morant on the opposite end. Payton’s saving grace was frequent and timely, scoring in relatively low minutes.
Payton played just 15 minutes, putting up 12 points, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in that span. He shot 5/9 from the field and 2/2 from three. It feels like Payton has been hitting threes more frequently lately, but these are wide open like Marcus Smart’s game-winner from our last loss. When the game was on the verge of breaking wide open in the third, Payton had some drives to the basket and a three-ball. He also had some bricks at the rim and dribbled off his leg once, but he did enough scoring to break even.
Despite the efficient scoring, Elfrid Payton didn’t really have “it” against the Grizzlies. Ja Morant was too fast to defend, and the Grizzlies doubled everything against the starters. The Knicks’ comeback came from mixing second unit floor spacers with the starting frontcourt. That said, this game represents an improvement compared to some recent duds. Payton’s working hard; I’ll give him that credit. Elfrid grabs an impact score of 2 out of 5 for the night.
Reggie Bullock: It’s not surprising that when Julius Randle struggled, Reggie Bullock saw less of the ball. Bullock still shot well, but his touches were less frequent. Bully’s first made shot was a midrange jumper, hinting that the Grizzlies would close out strong on the Knicks’ three-point shooter. The limited touches meant less production and a minutes cut before all was said and done.
Bullock rocked for 20 minutes, scoring 8 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound on 3/5 from the field and 2/4 from three. Even with Randle flustered, the big man found Bullock and was rewarded with assists on the looks generated. The drop off in scoring and attempts come from additional attention rather than a dip in performance. Bullock isn’t the type to assert his offense; he’s better letting the game come to him. Unfortunately, that limited his production in this case.
It wasn’t a bad game for Reggie, just a muted one. Even his perimeter defense lost some shine in the face of Memphis’ interior and fast-break-based offense. Bully’s game took a backseat to pretty much everyone else, and his minutes reflect that. It’s not something to stress over. He still made the shots when he got them. Bullock gets a 2 out of 5 for a quiet night.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett’s fourth quarter and overtime against the Grizz will be a standout memory from a season full of great moments. Barrett’s game was completely subdued in the first half. He saw extra attention from the Memphis defense, which threw him off early. In the third quarter, RJ passed his way out of the trouble. Then the fourth quarter came, and RJ reminded everybody about the old Kobe comparisons. Barrett would not be denied whether he was driving or shooting. Barrett put up 15 points in the fourth and overtime, including a game-tying off his own defensive rebound. The Knicks have been searching for a closer in recent losses. They found one against the Grizzlies.
Barrett played 34 minutes, scoring 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 turnover. He shot 7/13 from the field, 2/4 from three, and 4/5 from the free-throw line. All of that efficiency poured in during the clutch moments of the game. RJ hit a three to make the game close, hit three consecutive free throws to tie the game, and then tied it again on the drive shown above. He continued to score in overtime but got some much-needed help from Alec Burks there.
I have a confession. When Ja Morant went off for 13 points during the third quarter, I started to think about our terrible lottery luck. I was a Lovecraft character, cursing the basketball gods for their indifference toward the Knicks’ failures. Then RJ made me feel foolish. The 20-year old took over the game and reminded me that we got plenty lucky in that draft. Barrett’s 20 points on 13 attempts are great; that it came from an explosion when the game mattered most is brilliant. I bet Anthony Edwards’ quotes echoed in RJ’s head while he steamrolled another player from the top 25 under 25 list. Barrett gets a 4 out of 5 for impact.
Julius Randle: What sounds like an oxymoron but isn’t one? Ugly triple-double. Julius Randle was facing constant double-teams while his shot wouldn’t fall, and his timing was off. He wasn’t drawing the double so much as he waited for it. The stagnation caused less movement from teammates. He would be trapped before he could get rid of the rock. He didn’t have a field goal until deep into the third quarter. But when the game was on the line, he delivered.
Randle quietly compiled assists and rebounds while his scoring wasn’t happening. When the shots mattered most, he willed his way to important makes in the fourth quarter and overtime. Nothing came easy, but Randle turned a night of struggle into impressive numbers. In 38 minutes, Randle compiled 15 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. He shot 4/12 from the field, 1/2 from three, and 6/9 from the free-throw line. The performance included some flashbacks to a bygone era, Randle holding the ball too long and dribbling into trouble. Like RJ, he figured out the defense more and more as the game wore on. He passed well In the third quarter and then willed baskets in from the fourth quarter to the close.
The starting unit will struggle as long as Randle’s having tough games. The big man is too integral to everyone else’s success. At least that’s been the case for most of this season and even most of the Memphis game. For a change, Randle got picked up by his teammates. Whether it was Rose or Payton driving, Barrett doing everything, or Burks getting hot late, Randle had a support system. Instead of having to take every shot late with little room for error, Randle got to conserve energy and attack in bursts. The result was a quiet triple-double when the smoke clear. Randle grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for the night.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens Noel gave a good effort, but the results were less fruitful than normal. Memphis attacked the lane constantly, and Noel was often there to meet defenders, but that meant he wasn’t in position to deny offensive boards. In one sequence, the Knicks’ center blocked a dunk attempt but gave up the rebound, challenged a second attempt at the rim but gave up another rebound, and then was helpless as Kyle Anderson sunk a wide-open three-pointer. That’s the kind of night that Noel had, he’d do some work, but the Grizzlies would find ways to convert anyway.
Noel played for 25 minutes, finishing with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 blocks, and 2 turnovers. He shot 2/4 from the field and 2/2 from the line. Both of Noel’s makes were on jump shots. He hit a baby jumper inside and then a baseline midrange basket. Add the perfection on 2 free throws, and we got a rare good shooting night. But the story for Noel is always his defense. Yes, he blocked plenty of shots, but no, he was not an effective defender. The Knicks lost the battle on the boards and gave up too many points in the paint to overvalue a few blocks.
The game wound up being a good distillation of Noel’s limitations. He gave a proper effort and even added some jumpers that we normally don’t see. But Noel had problems getting position under the boards or clearing out space for teammates. It’s not his fault that Memphis outworked the entire Knicks team, but that’s where we look for his biggest contributions. Noel’s impact score ends up at a 2 out of 5.
The Knicks’ second unit keeps hope alive
Derrick Rose: Derrick Rose had a huge first-half again and didn’t completely vanish in the second half like he has in recent games. The former Bull came into the game and briefly turned back the clock. He hit floaters in traffic, lay-ups through contact, and was elusive on the rock. When the starters struggled, he got early minutes and became a saving grace (foul trouble for Payton, not genius from Thibs). Rose didn’t go away in the second half, but he still visibly slowed down, which has been a common occurrence since he missed action with COVID. If we could get first-half Rose for a full game, this team will be scary.
Rose dropped 19 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 2 turnovers in 26 minutes of action. He shot 8/17 from the field, 0/4 from three, and 3/3 from the line. The former MVP had a beauty of an assist, throwing a lead pass to Obi Toppin in transition. The game’s pace was generally faster when Rose was on the ball over other lead guards. He and Taj were the Knicks’ first-half life support. They brought energy until Thibs could get everyone back into the locker room.
Just as some players had worse games than their numbers suggest, Rose’s good numbers hide just how important he was. Finish after finish felt like a statement, “my boy Thibs isn’t going out like this!” The beauty of it all is that Rose is still rounding back into form after illness and injury. His game is trending upward, and he provides a bit of on-ball leadership that makes a world of difference. Rose’s impact grade is a 3.5 out of 5.
Immanuel Quickley: Walt Frazier commented about how important Immanuel Quickley’s first three-point make must have felt. The rookie has been in a slow spell for the better part of the past 5 games. But IQ hit a three early, found his floater, and proceeded to turn his minutes into productivity. In the fourth quarter, Quickley’s timely three-point shooting propelled the Knicks back within reach for RJ Barrett’s heroics. His three-ball was back, and that made everything else easier.
Quickley got 31 minutes, including the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. He tallied 20 points, 2 assists, 4 boards, and 1 steal on 7/12 from the field, 4/6 from three, and 2/2 from the line. IQ grabbed 2 offensive rebounds and generated 4-second chance points from them. He finished a lay-up of his own on the first board and then turned a rebound into an alley-oop to assist Obi Toppin in the crucial fourth. The rookies really made a mark on that fourth-quarter comeback.
The beauty of Immanuel Quickley is that his 4/6 from three just feels natural. We’ve come to expect outbursts like this from IQ. The rookie hits the most dangerous shot in basketball, the three-pointer off the dribble. If he’s sinking those long-range shots, it makes him virtually unstoppable. I have to stress this too. The game was easier for both RJ and Randle in the space that a Burks/IQ backcourt provided them. Quickley hits a 3 out of 5 on impact.
Alec Burks: Alec Burks had a game similar to RJ and Randle in that he was quiet through three quarters. Even in the fourth, Burks added a more muted contribution. I think his presence as lead guard late resulted from the Knicks’ big deficit and the importance of three-point shooting. But the additional touches helped Burks find a rhythm, and by overtime, he was absolutely cooking with an array of drives and made threes that helped seal the win.
Burks played for 33 minutes, picking up 19 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He shot 5/15 from the field, 3/8 from three, and 6/6 from the free-throw line. His free throw shooting is especially easy to appreciate compared to the trash that Memphis was throwing up (actually, thanks for all the bricks Memphis). On the downside, I thought Dillon Brooks ate Burks alive for most of the night. He wasn’t good defensively, and without the late outburst, I’d have been complaining about a bad performance.
Burks broke out of his shell when he got to play some lead guard. The Rose, IQ, Burks combination is still hampering at least one player’s production whenever they’re out there. Somebody has to be the decoy, and often that man is Alec Burks…a player that needs touches to heat up. The good news is that this worked itself out. Burks got going in a nick of a time. That helped the Knicks escape with a big win. Burks grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for impact.
Taj Gibson: Taj Gibson got a technical foul in the first half and eventually fouled out of the game. That’s important to bring up because while the Knicks were listless, Taj was out there leading. He was energetic, yelled at players for missing boxouts, and yelled at the refs for missing calls. You could catch Taj clapping his hands wildly after a basket and just encouraging the team to snap out of their slumber. Rose provided the scoring, Gibson provided the energy while everyone else took time to get going.
Gibson played 28 minutes, providing 6 points, 8 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. He shot 1/4 from the field and 4/4 from the free-throw line. Poor shooting aside, Gibson earned his minutes the hard way. He fought the physical battles and tried to energize his teammates. It wasn’t pretty, but it was just what New York needed.
On the downside, Taj got called for an offensive foul on a screen. I feel like he flirts with the offensive foul and turnover on damn near every screen he sets. It’s why the picks are so effective, but I hope the refs don’t start to catch him slipping. Everything else was good, even with the poor field goal percentage. Gibson continues to be a bright spot as a veteran leader. His impact score comes in at 2.5 out of 5.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin got his first 4 points the easy way. He drew an offensive foul for two free throws, then beat Grizzlies down court for a fast-break lay-up. That may explain why he looked so comfortable out there. Toppin bumped into Burks on a play but otherwise looked confident in his actions. The early returns were lay-ups. By the fourth quarter, they were dunks. Toppin finished an alley-oop dunk from Immanuel Quickley, paid IQ back with an assist for three, and then skied for a monstrous putback along the baseline. He gave quality minutes!
Toppin played 15 minutes and put up 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. He shot 3/5 from the field, 0/2 from three, and 2/2 from the line. The rookie’s athleticism popped on every field goal he made. His first lay-up came by outrunning everyone, his second was an alley-oop, and his third was a putback. So Obi beat defenders with speed and hops for three finishes. Now imagine when he has to strength to show off his post-skills.
It wasn’t all gravy. Obi caught heat from Taj Gibson when he failed to box out Valanciunas during the fourth-quarter comeback. Add the mishap with Burks, and Toppin still looked like a rookie out there. But that’s what makes the 8 and 6 in just 15 minutes so promising. He’s still learning to use his athleticism and figuring out how to play pro ball, but just effort can lead him to some nice production. His athleticism will guarantee results once his mental game is locked in. Obi gets a 2.5 out of 5 for finally putting together a complete game in his limited minutes.
Frank sighting: We got about thirty seconds of Frank Ntilikina as a defensive sub at the end of the game. I only bring it up because at least Thibs hasn’t forgotten that Frank exists.
Rotation changes reap rewards for Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: I wasn’t ready to give Tom Thibodeau credit for the quick hooks he gave starters in the first quarter. Payton and Randle both sat early, but that was due to foul trouble. I still found myself pulling hair out during a third quarter that dragged along. But I can’t take anything away from Thibodeau’s biggest decision of the game. Thibs stuck with IQ and Burks as his backcourt to close the game. They provided spacing that RJ Barrett capitalized on, and Randle found some field goals in. That closing unit was the driving force of the comeback and win.
Another decision worth revisiting is Thibs’ challenge. It didn’t prevent Memphis from taking free throws, but it shifted a foul off Taj Gibson and onto Obi Toppin. Taj would eventually foul out, so that call actually bought more time for the most successful big on the night. On the less definitive side, I credit the coach for a better effort from the Knicks in the second half. That one’s more of a reach since the starters still looked like crap at first, but I think the fouls they quickly picked up were signs of better effort in misplaced spots.
That all comes together to make this my favorite coaching effort of the past couple of weeks. Foul trouble might have made choices easier early, but Thibodeau stuck with what worked. I’m praying that he doesn’t look at the closing unit as a fluke. The better spacing made life easier for everyone, and the ball isn’t in the point guard’s hands much late anyway. Going with the shooters was the right choice, and I think it’s a unit Thibs should stick with late in games. Tom Thibodeau gets a 4 out of 5 for this win.
Closing Thoughts: The Knicks are 15-10 at home, and I want to gas that for a minute. Every year we hear coaches talk about turning the Garden into a tough place to play, but Tom Thibodeau actually arrived with experience from the JVG’s old teams. The Knicks play defense that guarantees them a chance late. Then there’s the Garden crowd. I noticed it watching the Nets game last week. The smaller crowds are barely audible on telecasts…except for at MSG. Even with a third of the audience, the energy at the Garden is on a different level from other places.
I’m hyping up the home record and the power of the fans because a lot has been made about how challenging the upcoming schedule is. The Knicks have had it tough against superior quality teams, and they’ll face quite a few soon…but 8 out of the next 10 games happen at home. Something’s got to give, and my fingers are crossed that home court is the difference between close losses last week and gutted-out victories in the next couple.
My enthusiasm here isn’t exactly new. We just witnessed another heart breaker against the Celtics, but it’s felt like the Knicks are on the verge of a breakthrough in nearly all their recent match-ups with playoff teams. Nobody has run them over. New York doesn’t go away. The games are so close that the slightest edge could be the difference in a win. I’ve heard the usual cynicism of Knicks fans creeping up lately; concerns that this next stretch will move us from playoff hopes to tank commanders…Nah fam…I think this is the stretch where the Knicks prove that they really are playoff-worthy. We’ll find out soon, and y’all know I’ll be here to talk about it with the rest of the KFTV gang.
Some words about the legacy of a hip hop icon, lost too soon
R.I.P. DMX: One last thing, a bit of love for a legend. I couldn’t shoehorn DMX references or sneak in a one-liner about the man. I grew up obsessed with hip-hop, and X hit the scene and changed the game instantly. My grandmother walked me down the block to an old record store where I bought the single to Money, Power, Respect off the strength of that DMX verse on it. I was young and obsessed. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a rapper explode so quickly and reach such heights.
X was a different kind of rapper. He didn’t just rap about the good; he gave us real pictures of struggle. When he rapped, you’d catch him looking down sometimes…visualizing the stories he was telling. I think that’s why it was so easy to get absorbed in such personal experiences and find ways to relate. I can’t suggest his autobiography E.A.R.L. more, especially for fans of his or the ruff ryders or the LOX. It gave me a deeper appreciation of his music and understanding his struggles with addiction.
I’m sad that he’s gone, but in awe at the love he’s receiving. DMX was truly an icon, and his story should be understood as a triumph. He wrote soundtracks to different moments in my life. R.I.P. Earl Simmons, Dark Man X. You were larger than life, and your mark is forever.
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