The New York Knicks fell to the Golden State Warriors 110-99. Not enough juice in the offense to keep up with Steph Curry & Co.
The New York Knicks trailed from tip-off to conclusion against the Golden State Warriors, losing 110-99. A Herculean effort by Jalen Brunson kept the game from becoming a blowout, but he couldn’t keep up with the Warriors’ scoring on his own.
The Knicks trailed by 14 points before they even got on the scoreboard. They settled into a flow after that, keeping pace with the Warriors for the rest of the action. But any time they made a push for a comeback, one of the Warriors’ scorers responded.
New York pulled within 4 points during a fourth-quarter push, but it was all Golden State from that moment on. The Knicks finished February with a 4-8 record after losing, a testament to how much they’ve missed their injured starting frontcourt.
Let’s look closer at the loss to see how this game got away from them.
The Knicks’ starters never find a second option
Jalen Brunson: 27 PTS (11/25 FG, 4/7 3PT, 1/1 FT), 5 AST, 5 REB, 4 TO in 37 mins
Jalen Brunson got off to a slow start, just like the rest of the Knicks. But once he got going, his offense kept the game from getting out of hand. The Warriors always had help defenders waiting for him in the paint, forcing Brunson to battle for nearly every bucket.
Brunson’s playmaking fell behind his recent pace. He made a few nice passes, but Golden State often took away his favorite passing options. He opened the game with a bad turnover at the top of the key and struggled with turnovers throughout the action. His teammates shot poorly on the occasions he did find them in space.
Brunson’s 44% shooting is uncharacteristically low, but it’s a miracle he managed that much efficiency. The Warriors defended well and beat up the Knicks, including Brunson. This could have been a close contest if any other scorers stepped up. Brunson gets a 3.5 out of 5 for giving the Knicks a pulse on offense.
Donte DiVincenzo: 16 PTS (6/21 FG, 2/12 3PT, 2/4 FT), 2 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO in 36 mins
Calling Donte DiVincenzo’s night rough is an understatement. He didn’t only shoot poorly but got hit in the head and face on multiple plays. The Warriors left DiVo in a heap on the floor twice, once with a bloody nose, without the refs calling anything.
DiVincenzo’s jumper abandoned him for the night. He got to his spots but failed to convert the looks we’d seen him make all season. The shooting woes left the Big Ragu to do most of his work by attacking the basket, which wasn’t easy against the Warriors’ swarming defense.
To the Big Ragu’s credit, he did everything else well. He grabbed extra rebounds and played respectable defense all night. But Donte’s jumper is the key to his offense, and it never showed up for this game. DiVincenzo gets a 1.5 out of 5 for the poor shooting night.
Josh Hart: 14 PTS (4/17 FG, 3/9 3PT, 3/4 FT), 7 AST, 18 REB, 2 STL in 47 mins
Josh Hart lifted the Knicks in his usual manner. That is to say, he didn’t score efficiently, but he gave a massive boost in every other area. Hart continued to pick up his three-point shooting pace, but that will never be the centerpiece of his game. So, his biggest offensive contributions came as a passer.
Hart’s 18 rebounds are even more impressive than the tally already suggests. The Warriors turned nearly every defensive rebound into a scramble, often snatching boards from big men’s hands. But Hart was the first player to any loose ball in his vicinity. It felt like the Knicks were being outworked in the middle, but Hart picked up the slack for everybody.
You’ll rarely find me praising a performance from a player who shoots below 25% from the field in a game. But Josh Hart has managed that rare feat. While he couldn’t give Brunson a second scoring option, he helped in every other way. Hart gets a 3 out of 5 for giving New York a fighting chance.
Precious Achiuwa: 3 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/1 3PT, 1/4 FT), 1 AST, 8 REB, 2 BLK, 2 TO in 26 mins
Precious Achiuwa had a tough night. Teammates never got him easy looks at the basket, and the Warriors made him battle even for rebounds. His defense didn’t shine like normal, as the Warriors’ transition attacks and shooting kept him out of the action.
Forgettable is an understatement for this night. Precious hadn’t played less than 30 minutes in a game since January 25th, before OG Anunoby and Julius Randle got hurt. But the Warriors’ small-ball and pace chased Achiuwa to the bench sooner than normal.
To his credit, Achiuwa grabbed some boards and picked up two blocks. But this is his least effective outing in more than a month. Precious gets a 1.5 out of 5 for struggling to make a real impact.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 6 PTS (2/5 FG, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 20 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein is still looking for his pre-All-Star Break form. It’s hard to say if his Achilles injury is slowing him down or if the Warriors’ pace was too much for him. He didn’t look terrible in his limited minutes, but he didn’t have standout moments that we’re accustomed to.
I-Hart hasn’t made more than two field goals in a game since he left the Mavericks game with that Achilles injury. He sat out the Pelicans game but looked a step slow despite extra rest. We need him healthy because the Knicks’ defense and rebounding lose an edge without him.
Hartenstein gets a 1.5 out of 5 for failing to make a mark on the action.
New York’s second unit gets dragged down by the new guys
Miles McBride: 14 PTS (6/8 FG, 2/3 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 3 STL in 22 mins
Miles McBride almost played the hero off the bench. He scored ten fourth-quarter points and brought energy to an otherwise shell-shocked Knicks’ bench. Deuce continues to knock down his jumpers with confidence. He’s not just hitting jumpers off the catch but breaking defenders down for pull-up midrange shots.
McBride’s defense was a welcome sight. He got into trouble jumping passing lanes while guarding shooters, but his on-ball defense was great. He consistently bumped, prodded, and stayed in front of Golden State’s crafty scorers. I only wish he had the size to defend Jonathon Kuminga for a while.
The Knicks added firepower at the deadline, but McBride has been the second unit’s most consistent player. He earned extra minutes in the fourth quarter and provided efficient scoring that virtually no other player could. Deuce gets a 3 out of 5 for a strong performance.
Alec Burks: 5 PTS (2/6 FG, 1/3 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB in 11 mins
The less I say about Alec Burks’ night, the better. He’s not doing much beyond getting shots up and shooting poorly to boot. So, Burks hits the floor, and it looks like glorified shooting practice mixed with bricklaying.
Burks needs to step up soon because his minutes are dwindling, and players are getting ready to return. The Knicks added him for another shotmaker, but he’s just wasting possessions at this rate. He didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a performance score but suffice it to say that he got benched for a good reason.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 4 PTS (0/7 FG, 0/4 3PT, 4/4 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 TO in 18 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic played just as poorly as Burks. Thanks to some quality performances, he’s earned more leash, but Bogie had a brutal night. Despite some nice open looks, he went 18 minutes without ever making a field goal.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. If Bogie isn’t scoring, he doesn’t provide much else. His defense hurts the team, and he didn’t get after boards and create for others. The Knicks need him to hit jumpers or figure out another way to produce points.
Bogdanovic gets a 1 out of 5 for never finding his rhythm.
Jericho Sims: 10 PTS (3/3 FG, 4/5 FT), 3 AST, 5 REB in 22 mins
Jericho Sims did a commendable job stepping up while the other Knicks’ bigs struggled. His mobility helped him to keep up with the action where slower bigs struggled. The young big’s passing shined again, with 3 assists, the third-highest tally on the team.
Sims’ free throw shooting looked promising, too. He took hard fouls as the Warriors refused to let him have easy dunks and converted the free throws. It made for a nice bounceback from the Pelicans game when he made just one of three attempts.
Sims gets a 2.5 out of 5 for providing help inside while other big men struggled.
Tom Thibodeau’s hands remain tied
I’m a broken record at this point. It’s hard to judge Tom Thibodeau’s work with such a depleted lineup. The fact that he keeps his team from giving up on nights like this is a testament to good coaching. But the losses are piling up, and I’m not sure there’s much Thibs could do about it.
Closing Thoughts:
February felt like the month from hell for New York. Their injuries caught up to them in a major way, and suddenly, they’re back in a battle to avoid the play-in games. But we’re ending the month with some good news. OG Anunoby’s been cleared for basketball activity, and there are promising signs that Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson will be back before the end of this month.
There’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. If those guys return to form, the Knicks will return to form just in time for the postseason.
I’ve seen some awful Knicks teams, but nothing is more frustrating than knowing how much better they could be if they could just get healthy. I’m hoping for a revenge tour once the front court is back.
New York gets an extra day of rest before facing the Cavs. I expect Cleveland to look fired up as they’re coming off a loss. Hopefully, the Knicks will respond in kind, and we can discuss it here. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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