The New York Knicks lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-110. Lack of free throwing shooting and late-game execution cost the Knicks a win.
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Free throw shooting and late-game execution cost the New York Knicks as they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110 to 112. The Knicks’ main scorers never got comfortable against the heavy pressure applied by Minnesota’s defense. But while their stars struggled, the backcourt from Boston stepped up and nearly sparked an upset. The Knicks’ centers both fouled out for the closing minutes, and the team lost on a mismatch with Randle guarding Karl-Anthony Towns in the post.
Kemba Walker’s ball-handling and shooting were crucial in his return, but Evan Fournier was even better. The bench couldn’t get much going against Minnesota’s defense, but Tom Thibodeau didn’t give them much of a chance. The Knicks were outscored in three out of four quarters but still came close to stealing a victory. Let’s see how each player performed.
The Walker/Fournier backcourt almost saves the day for Knicks’ starters
Kemba Walker: 19 PTS (6/13 FG, 4/8 3PT, 3/5 FT), 4 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 30 mins
The Wolves pressured ball handlers throughout the night, and that defense magnified the value of having a genuine point guard on the floor. Kemba Walker made the Knicks’ offense look better whenever he was on the floor. The pressure didn’t shake him and he was able to set up teammates in advantageous positions to attack. When the Wolves began to go under screens against him, he responded with a three-point barrage in the second half.
Walker’s ability to shoot over a late closeout was key. The Wolves were able to limit the efficacy of some other shooters on the Knicks despite cheating off them to help on ball handlers. With passing lanes clogged, it meant that ball handlers had to find players nearby or shoot for themselves. Walker was among the only players that pulled it off comfortably.
The former all-star did his damage efficiently. He wasn’t too problematic on defense either. When Kemba has fresh legs, he’s still Kemba Walker. His finishing at the basket might have slipped with age, but his vision and shooting make him a valid weapon. The Knicks probably could have put the ball in his hands more often and looked better. Walker gets a 3 out of 5 for a strong night.
Evan Fournier: 27 PTS (10/17 FG, 5/10 3PT, 2/2 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 37 mins
For the second night in a row, it looked like an opponent would try to pick on the Evan Fournier match-up. D’Angelo Russell isolated against Fournier for a step back three and then went for a second attack the next trip down. Fournier took that personal. The French wing contested Russell’s shot, hit a three on the opposite end, and then came back and stole a pass. He locked in and put together a fantastic effort on both ends of the ball.
You’ll see dozens of clips of Evan Fournier hitting threes in these recaps if you read enough, but seeing him sell a double-team and dive for the loose ball is rare. His defense didn’t always hold up against the physicality and driving of Jaylen Nowell, but his effort was undeniable. This was a performance where you can put up with some defensive slip-ups because the player is clearly giving his all.
Fournier’s shooting was lights out, but we’ve seen games like that. More importantly, he consistently beat the closeout off the dribble by feeding Mitch or shooters. When the defense stayed home to stop dimes, Fournier took it to the rack and got fouled or finished. This was one of his most complete games as a Knick and he was the driving force for New York’s success through three quarters. Fournier gets a 4 out of 5 for being New York’s best player in a near victory.
RJ Barrett: 17 PTS (6/16 FG, 2/7 3PT, 3/6 FT), 2 AST, 6 REB, 7 TO in 37 mins
I’ve spent a few recaps talking about how Julius Randle needs to make the easy passes when doubles come his way. Well, RJ Barrett had the exact same issue that has caused Randle’s turnover-plagued performances. Barrett would drive headlong into traffic and look for the home run instead of taking the easy pass. For a good comparison, think back on the hockey assists that Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes picked up by driving and making a quick swing pass. They didn’t register assists, but their pass started a scoring possession.
Barrett rushed through his possessions even when he wasn’t forcing a cross-court pass. His three-point attempts looked sped up and led to inconsistent results. He had trouble finishing at the basket and couldn’t convert his free-throws when whistles bailed him out. This game was a struggle from beginning to end. The sophomore failed to make his reads and never found an offensive rhythm.
These are the growing pains of focusing an offense around a young, developing player. Barrett could do no wrong for the first two weeks of January. Defenses have adjusted by taking away his kick-outs and ramping up ball pressure. His adjustment needs to be making the quick and easy pass when that double-team starts approaching. I’m okay with RJ learning from these sorts of games, as long as he shows growth. Barrett gets a 1.5 out of 5 for the tough night.
Julius Randle: 21 PTS (6/15 FG, 0/4 3PT, 9/11 FT), 9 AST, 9 REB, 2 STL, 4 BLK, 3 TO in 39 mins
Despite a near triple-double and undeniable effort throughout the second half, I’ll categorize Julius Randle’s performance as a mixed bag. He spent most of the first half taking what the defense gave him and looking to set up teammates. But Randle got mad in the second half and embraced bully ball. He powered into the lane for finishes, offensive rebounds, and free throws. The only problem is that he didn’t always play smart or controlled basketball.
Randle got his spark after giving up a backdoor cut for a dunk from Jaden McDaniels. That was indicative of his defense on the night. Randle would cheat middle and leave his men open on the perimeter. He could get away with that because he defended poor shooters, and it even allowed him to pick up some beautiful blocks in help defense. But I refuse to categorize it as good defense when he left shooters wide open so often and picked up some silly fouls getting on lackadaisical closeouts.
To his credit, Randle played with pride. He got mad when Jaden McDaniels tried to show up the Knicks with a couple of dunks. New York’s star also made some nice passes and sprayed the ball around to teammates. Randle didn’t play greedy or soft, he just lost his head at times which proved costly. On the bright side, Randle’s jumper is showing signs of life as he hit some midrange takes and didn’t settle (even his missed threes were good looks). His defense is holding him back right now though. Randle gets a 2.5 out of 5, and a “ he’s almost getting it” to boot.
Mitchell Robinson: 8 PTS (4/5 FG), 6 REB in 20 minutes
The refs chased Mitchell Robinson off the floor with foul trouble when he seemed poised for another explosive night. The first quarter seemed like it was matching Robinson’s force against Karl-Anthony Towns’ finesse. Towns would hit a jumper or a nice post move, and Mitch would come down the other end to dunk the ball. But between Towns and Edwards’ consistent attacking the lanes, Robinson would struggle with fouls all night.
Mitch played good basketball when he got minutes, except for one glaring issue. The Wolves targeted New York’s shot blocker on the switch early and often. Anthony Edwards seemed to relish the match-up, in particular, popping multiple threes over Robinson’s outstretched hands. Edwards and Towns both drove right into the shot blocker’s body when he tried to close out, leading to the aforementioned foul trouble.
That said, I can’t be too mad at Mitch in this one. I thought the refs gave Edwards some superstar love that he hasn’t really earned yet. Robinson does need to learn to trust teammates to rotate, however. He doesn’t have to bump a man that drives past his closeout, chase them off the line, and then rotate to cover for whoever helps you. Mitch started on fire, but let foul trouble slow his success. Robinson gets a 2 out of 5 for not being able to stay out there.
Not enough time for the Knicks bench to make a difference
Alec Burks: 0 PTS (0/3 3PT), 4 REB, 2 TO in 17 mins
Shifting to the second unit did little to help Alec Burks out of his slump. Burks had very little pressure to create for others and took his few shots off kick-out passes. He still struggled with his jumper and was rendered ineffective everywhere else as well.
Fewer touches didn’t translate to “taking what the offense gives” but instead just meant that Burks didn’t have much to do. He floated on the perimeter, but the Wolves denied passing lanes all night. That meant Burks’ attempts were few and far between, with his only made shot being called back because a foul had occurred on the pass.
Tom Thibodeau managed to make a bad night worse. When the Knicks lost both Mitchell Robinson and Taj Gibson to fouls, Thibs went super small. Burks, who had done absolutely nothing up to the point, entered the game for a four-guard lineup. The struggling shooter failed to make an impact beyond putting D’Angelo Russell on the free-throw line. Burks gets a 1 out of 5 for failing to make a mark on this game.
Immanuel Quickley: 6 PTS (1/2 FG, 1/2 3PT, 3/4 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 TO in 9 mins
The Wolves’ pressure defense shook Immanuel Quickley’s game. Quickley had moments where he picked up his dribble too soon and others in which he maintained his handle but didn’t get anywhere. It led to some ugly and rushed possessions which meant that IQ got quick hooks in both halves.
But the early hooks felt like a mistake to me. For all of his struggles against the pressure, Quickley managed to draw whistles and get to the line. He knocked down one of his only two shot attempts and combined with his free throws, this felt like a chance to break his shooting slump. The sophomore also played spirited defense, sticking to Nowell on drives to the basket. That wasn’t enough to earn more than 9 minutes from Thibodeau as other guards had hot hands.
Quentin Grimes: 3 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/2 3PT, 1/1 FT), 2 REB, 1 STL in 17 mins
Quentin Grimes couldn’t get free looks from three. He rushed a couple of long-range attempts early in the game, but the Wolves limited his ability to launch anything. That didn’t stop Grimes from playing tough defense all night, turning a steal into a lovely and-one finish in transition.
That said, there wasn’t much to Grimes’ night beyond his defense. The Wolves denied kick-outs and chased shooters off the line when the passes were completed. That left Grimes rarely seeing the ball and making quick swing passes if he did. He wasn’t bad for the offense, but he didn’t get a lot of action.
The lack of opportunity even when he was on the floor means that Grimes’ performance grade is tough to parse out. He played good defense, chased some boards, and gave all of the efforts we can ask for. But Grimes didn’t help the half-court offense in his limited minutes. That leaves Grimes with a pedestrian but solid 2 out of 5 off the bench.
Obi Toppin: 4 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/2 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 9 mins
Four points, four boards, and an assist in just nine minutes is pretty good production. Obi Toppin missed his looks from three but worked his tail off to remain productive. He got after the boards with a nice second-chance finish and drew a whistle inside. His size and athleticism countered the Wolves’ athletes and allowed him to at least look comfortable in the chaos.
None of that seemed to matter to Tom Thibodeau. The second unit’s guards couldn’t get anything going and somehow Toppin got pulled along with those guards. To make matters worse, when New York lost its bigs, Thibodeau went with four guards instead of Toppin. The decision was inexplicable considering Toppin had thoroughly outperformed Alec Burks up to that point. This kid’s not even getting a chance to be bad, let alone a chance to earn a bigger role.
Taj Gibson: 5 PTS (2/3 FG, 1/2 FT), 4 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 25 mins
A lot of the same problems that Mitchell Robinsons dealt with were present for Taj Gibson. He handled the switches better, but only enough to eke out five more minutes before picking up his sixth foul. Gibson was tough to score on inside, but he also picked up some bad fouls along the way.
Taj managed to add a bit of offense to the mix. It was his usual showing of clever finishes off hard rolls to the basket. But considering that he played with a second unit that struggled to complete passes, his five points aren’t bad. If anything, Taj and Mitch’s success as roll men makes the decision to go extra small after their fouls even more egregious. New York’s offense fell apart without proper screen and roll players.
Taj had a solid night going, but foul trouble hampered his impact. He wasn’t picked on the same way that Mitch was on the switch, but Gibson still ran into similar issues fouling. That drives a stark contrast between New York’s bigs who couldn’t make contact with ball-handlers and Minnesota’s wings that got away with bumps and harassment all night…who’s home court was this!? Gibson gets a 2 out of 5 for a solid effort against piss poor refs as much as it was against the Wolves.
Bizarre decisions prove costly late for Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: I’m beginning to understand why Tom Thibodeau has worn out his welcome in prior addresses. The Burks substitution late should count among his low-lights for the entire season. The Knicks might be the only team I’ve ever seen that abandoned the pick and roll when they needed buckets in crunch time. That wasn’t on the players, the coach didn’t put anyone on the floor that sets good screens. RJ Barrett was the power forward.
The rest of my complaints fall squarely on Thibs’ refusing to trust his bench. It makes some sense because the bench has struggled since being depleted. But the bench just got back one of its weapons. IQ was struggling on the ball, so why not let Burks initiate a bit? Thibs just changed from force-feeding us Burks as point guard anyway! The late-game execution may have been fatigue thanks to three key players being close to 40-minute nights on the second of a back-to-back.
I can’t over this minutes allotment on the second night of a back-to-back. We can blame the players who clearly left everything out there because they made plenty of mistakes. But it’s a coach’s job to make things easier for his players, not to increase the degree of difficulty. Thibodeau overplayed worn-down legs and took away the pick and roll option for the last three minutes of the game. The turnovers and collapse that ensued fall squarely on his shoulders. Thibodeau picks up a 0.5 out of 5 for sealing a defeat when his players fought so hard.
Closing Thoughts
Win or lose, this result feels worrisome. The Wolves aren’t a bad team, but they are decidedly average. They outplayed New York for three out of four quarters, and have played New York tough even when depleted. Both match-ups for these two teams have been competitive and close. These are two average teams, locked in mediocrity. Their close and somewhat intense rivalry doesn’t change that neither of these teams looks particularly good.
The Wolves have an excuse though. They run with a big three of young players flanked by youth on all sides. They’re not too different from last year’s Knicks with a lot of youth making up for talent deficiencies by working harder than everyone else. New York is supposed to be a step ahead, having brought in vets to provide depth and support for its talented core. That hasn’t happened at all, the team is stagnant at best and slightly regressed at worst.
But the good news is that the Eastern Conference is loaded with “pretty good” teams and nobody entirely dominant. That means mediocrity is good enough to be one winning streak away from pushing past play-in territory.
The New Orleans Pelicans are next and this should be a winnable game before the competition truly begins to scale up. The Knicks need to use this chance to get their footing and prepare for the tough road ahead. There’s room to make a run, but it will take beating better competition that the Knicks haven’t proven capable of taking down yet. We’ll see if they can push forward with momentum or if they’re stuck in the mud after the next one. See you then Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. And in case you missed it, make sure to check out the analysis and fan reactions when the Knicks lost to the Charlotte Hornets.
