The New York Knicks fell to the Golden State Warriors 101-111. The Knicks were ice-cold on offense and defense.
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The New York Knicks fell to the Golden State Warriors 101 to 111. The Knicks were flat as soon as this game began and down by double-digits before they could reach ten points. Nearly every player shot poorly, whether the looks were open or not. New York’s defense was just as bad, with too many miscommunications and missed rotations that left opposing shooters wide open.
The bright spot for the Knicks is that they refused to go away. They were down by as many as 22 points but ended half-time down by eleven. After the lead ballooned in the third, they fought to make it a single-digit game in the fourth quarter. But Golden State inevitably answered every run with a three-pointer or some other big basket.
The broadcast mentioned multiple sick players, and there may have also been an energy dump after two big wins on consecutive days with little rest. But let’s explore each individual’s performance.
The Knicks’ starters couldn’t get shots to fall
Jalen Brunson: 13 PTS (2/13 FG, 1/5 3PT, 8/8 FT), 4 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 32 mins
Jalen Brunson fought all night but finished the night with his worst shooting performance as a Knick. His jumper wouldn’t fall from inside or long range. Even Brunson’s playmaking felt muted, although plenty of open shots he created were missed. He was cold from everywhere but the line.
The Knicks’ point guard did show his grit on defense. Brunson was particularly active in the passing lanes, leading to several deflections. Those became steals or Golden State turnovers in some other fashion. Brunson didn’t have his A-game, but he was fighting.
The diminutive point guard never got his scoring on track, and the Knicks suffered for it. The team feels rudderless without Brunson’s reliable scoring. Although Brunson played hard, his rough shooting night dropped his impact grade to 1.5 out of 5 for lack of scoring punch.
RJ Barrett: 18 PTS (6/19 FG, 1/6 3PT, 5/5 FT), 5 AST, 4 REB, 3 TO in 40 mins
RJ Barrett moved far better than he had in the previous games. But despite his legs showing signs of life, Barrett’s jump shot and finishing both remained sloppy. His vision and patience returned to pre-illness levels, meaning a few tough finishes and a team-leading five assists.
Defensively, Barrett also showed signs of improvement over his past couple of abysmal showing. He challenged several shots from Andrew Wiggins, though the Golden State wing still managed to make a few over him. Simply challenging a few shots set RJ apart from a number of his sluggish peers.
This still wasn’t a good performance. Barrett was inefficient from the field, turned the ball over too much, and has to be better after signing a big contract. But it was an obvious step in the right direction compared to his last two nightmare games. Barrett picks up a 2 out of 5, and I’m hoping this was a step toward returning to form.
Cam Reddish: 11 PTS (3/8 FG, 1/4 3PT, 4/4 FT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 2 STL in 25 mins
Cam Reddish had a pair of smooth and pleasant finishes inside the paint. He didn’t shoot well, but a lay-up, a putback, and a few free throws kept his efficiency solid. Reddish also generally seemed more active on the ball, even if the playmaking numbers don’t show it.
Reddish had a mixed performance on defense. He had some hustle steals and stand-out moments of quality man-to-man defense. But Cam also suffered multiple miscommunications, particularly with Julius Randle. As a result, both players found themselves guarding the same man, freeing up shooters in more than one instance.
Reddish left the game with a sore groin after the third quarter. That’s highly concerning because he finally found his comfort zone in the Knicks’ rotation. His defense has been a boon for New York, and his offensive play was coming to life. Nevertheless, despite the incomplete performance, Reddish gets a 2.5 out of 5.
Julius Randle: 20 PTS (7/15 FG, 3/7 3PT, 3/4 FT), 2 AST, 7 REB, 4 TO in 30 mins
Julius Randle was a saving grace for the Knicks’ starters. He kept New York in the game with timely and-ones and three-pointers. Unfortunately, the big man sometimes got overzealous, which led to more turnovers than anyone wanted. But his fairly efficient twenty-point night was the best offense New York could find.
The quality play didn’t carry over to his defense. Randle found himself on the wrong defender in multiple instances. He also floated through a handful of plays, seeming to barely find a player to pick up on defense. As a result, the big man failed to repeat his incredible Denver effort.
But I’ll give him a pass for the defense, just this once. He’s one of many players getting over an illness that seemed to leave everyone sluggish. Yet, the big man still managed to carry the offense through multiple dry spells. That’s good for 3 out of 5 on the night.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 8 PTS (3/4 FG, 1/1 3PT, 1/1 FT), 5 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 17 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein put together his second-best scoring performance in the past seven games. He hit a corner three and knocked down a couple of field goals inside. The big man also seemed more active overall. Hart tried to do some playmaking, which I wanted to see, even though one of the passes sailed out of bounds.
Hartenstein was a step slow on defense. He had his moments, including a block on Steph Curry. But the big man didn’t provide enough resistance at the rim and rarely rotated outside fast enough.
Hart’s minutes were cut thanks to Jericho Sims’ strong play. That meant he couldn’t build on a solid offensive night. But it also meant his defense wasn’t as big a problem as it might have otherwise been against a fast, shooting squad. Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for his impact.
New York’s second unit plays as sluggish as the starters
Derrick Rose: 9 PTS (3/7 FG, 1/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 2 BLK in 14 mins
Derrick Rose continues to show signs of life on every trip out. He flew into the lane for a pair of excellent assists and an acrobatic finish. The former MVP didn’t play enough to have a huge night, but his nine points in just 14 minutes were impressive.
Rose also added a couple of blocks on defense, but he didn’t stand out much on that end. Regardless, it’s nice that he has his legs back to explode for blocks.
Rose came out right around the 15-minute mark. That’s been common all season. The bench probably could have used five more minutes from him because he made an impact. Rose gets a 2.5 out of 5, even in short minutes.
Immanuel Quickley: 6 PTS (0/5 FG, 0/3 3PT, 6/6 FT), 1 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL, 3 TO in 27 mins
Immanuel Quickley had an off night from the field. He was robbed of a few assists, with players missing a few dunks that he lobbed up. IQ also missed a couple of bunnies of his own. The offensive mishaps continued as Quickley turned the ball over more than usual.
Quick’s defense was still a strong point, though. It may have stood out more because so many others struggled. Quick stayed in front of his men and tallied a pair of steals along the way. His rebounding continues to stand out as well.
IQ had a rough night on offense, but his defense was a welcome sight. IQ’s defensive effort kept him on the floor and tipped his impact rating to 1.5 out of 5. He wasn’t good, but he wasn’t as bad as the numbers suggest.
Obi Toppin: 1 PTS (0/5 FG, 0/3 3PT, 1/2 FT), 5 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 19 mins
Obi Toppin’s brutal night included missing open three-pointers and a couple of dunk attempts that rimmed out. He never got any scoring going, despite all of his looks being good ones.
Toppin was more visible on defense. He fought with bigger players to get a couple of nice boards and also had an excellent recovery to block a slashing ball-handler — Jordan Poole.
But Obi didn’t provide enough to make up for a night without a field goal. He’s been a bright spot on a nightly basis, but this was a rare dud. Obi gets a 1 out of 5 for lack of scoring.
Jericho Sims: 10 PTS (4/7 FG, 2/2 FT), 10 REB, 3 BLK, 2 TO in 27 mins
Jericho Sims injected life into the Knicks’ rotation. While everyone else was sluggish, he flew around to fight for offensive rebounds and points in the paint. The big man battled his way to a pair of and-one finishes during New York’s brief fourth-quarter run.
Sims was also fantastic on defense. His three blocks were all impressive, from chasing down Poole on a fast break to skying over opponents in half-court sets. Again, Sims was all over the place.
After struggling in a couple of starts, the big man has found a groove. I’m tempted to ask that he return to the starting unit because he has thoroughly outplayed Hartenstein during the trip out West. Sims gets a team-leading 3.5 out of 5 for positive impacts at both ends.
Tom Thibodeau’s defense is exploited again
Mike Breen always mentions that there are a few nights a year when teams don’t have it. Unfortunately, this was one of those games, and I doubt Tom Thibodeau could have done much to change it. His players missed open shots and made odd mistakes all night.
But Thibs’ defense includes drop coverages that are ready-made for Golden State’s personnel to exploit. Their slash-and-kick style collapsed the defense, and their extra passes left Knicks’ defenders lost by the third or fourth swing. Even Klay Thompson got his groove back.
Call me biased, but I’ll continue to rail against this defensive scheme until Mitchell Robinson returns. Thibs’ defensive strategy requires too much effort for the depleted and sick roster that he’s utilizing for now. As a result, he gets a 2 out of 5 for the night.
Closing Thoughts
I’ll give New York a mulligan for this performance. The players’ meeting gave the team life, but may have also spread a cold to many players. The sluggishness that RJ exhibited two nights ago seemed to infect some teammates. Nobody had legs on their three-pointers!
This brought me back to the year Tyson Chandler caught the flu, which spread to half the playoff roster. New York also played a champion in that instance — the Heatles — and was defeated because of a shorthanded roster in round one. At least the Knicks got sick early in the winter this time.
Sick days aren’t built into the schedule, unfortunately. The Knicks have an early game against a tough Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Hopefully, a few players get over the ailments, or Thibodeau rests the under-the-weather players. We’ll try to glean more than this team-wide flu game provided then. I’ll see you then, Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out Knicks Weekly, where CP and Alex are joined by Anthony Donahue to give their takes on the previous week!
