Inexcusable
With KAT playing so poorly, and Giannis booing Bucks fans, trade rumors will only intensify...
Final Score: Knicks 101 - Kings 112
Record: 25-15
For East Coast fans who weren’t able to stay up and watch last night’s game, consider yourself lucky.
The final score shows New York lost by only 11 points, but the contest wasn’t that close. Sacramento raced out to a double-digit advantage midway through the first quarter and was up by 20 points early in the second. The lead ballooned to 25 before a fake comeback by New York in the final frame.
To add injury to insult, Jalen Brunson hurt his ankle five minutes into the game. JB took a wrong step while attempting to push off on a drive, tweaking his right ankle. He stayed in the game for New York’s subsequent defensive possession before asking out and limping to the locker room. The team ruled him out shortly after halftime.
This is the same ankle that sidelined him for two games earlier this season and for a month late last year.
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be a serious issue this time around. The beat writers on the ground in California reported that Brunson walked out of the locker room without a boot or crutches and was not limping, which are all obviously encouraging signs.
We’ll see what the club says later today, as the Knicks head to the Bay to take on the Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back. We know how cautious the Knicks’ medical staff is when it comes to injuries, so I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if they err on the side of caution this evening.
Although the Knicks were without their leading scorer for most of Wednesday’s matchup, there was no excuse for how poorly they executed offensively. New York shot a putrid 39% from the floor, 20% from three-point range (8-for-41) and 65% from the free-throw line.
Remarkably, per Basketball-Reference, it was the first time in franchise history that the Knicks shot below 40% from the field, below 20% from downtown, and below 70% from the charity stripe in a game in which they attempted 100+ FGs.
New York actually got up 26 more shots than Sacramento (100 to 74), yet somehow still lost by double digits.
There will be games when shots don’t drop. It happens to all teams. However, clubs that consider themselves legitimate championship contenders find ways to stay competitive on those off nights by turning up the effort on the other end of the floor.
Yet, New York was completely disengaged defensively for most of the evening. The Kings entered this week ranked dead last in Offensive Rating (108.5) and Net Rating (-11.2). The Knicks made them look like worldbeaters.
