Knicks Are Streaking, Beat Utah for 8th Straight Win

DiVincenzo has been too good to consider making a move for Murray. Breaking up the Knicks' starting backcourt would be unwise, especially considering the assets it would cost to obtain Murray.

Final Score: Knicks 118 - Utah 103
Record: 31-17

The Jazz jumped out to an early lead Tuesday night at MSG. They were up 15-6 less than five minutes into the game when Utah guard Collin Sexton decided it was a good time to get in Jalen Brunson's face and chirp about it. 

Well, Brunson's buddies didn't appreciate the jawing. From that point forward, the Knicks, powered by Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Brunson, beat the breaks off Sexton and his teammates, outscoring Utah 112-88 over the following 42 minutes. 

When the final buzzer sounded, New York, despite playing without their two starting forwards, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, had secured yet another impressive, nonsense blowout victory. 

With their eighth straight win, the Knicks closed the month with a 14-2 record. It is the first time ever that New York has registered 14 wins in January, and the first time they have won 14+ games in a single month since March of 1994, the year Patrick Ewing and company advanced to the NBA Finals. 

Arguably, the most impressive aspect of this recent run has been the Knicks' ability to battle through injuries. Each of the team's three most important players (Brunson, Randle and OG) missed two games apiece this month. Achieving this type of sustained success requires critical contributions from role players throughout the roster on a nightly basis. 

On Tuesday, Donte DiVincenzo took a starring role. He nailed nine three-pointers en route to 33 points (11-of-22 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), five rebounds, four assists, four steals, and one block in 39 minutes.

When you combine those numbers with his production in Monday's win vs. the Hornets, over the course of just over 24 hours, DiVincenzo racked up 61 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, 14 made three-pointers, a +47 plus/minus and two victories. Not a bad little back-to-back. 

According to Basketball Reference, DDV is the first and only player in Knicks franchise history to tally more than 60 points, more than ten boards and 14+ treys over a two-game span. 

On the season, DiVincenzo is now shooting 42.6% from behind the arc on 6.6 attempts per game, which means he is on pace to become just the fifth player in NBA history to put up more than 600 treys in a single season and make more than 42.5% of them. 

Yet, to focus solely on three-point prowess would be a disservice to the rest of his well-rounded game. DDV has been a defensive menace since sliding into the starting lineup, especially when playing alongside OG, allowing DiVincenzo to roam and play a free safety role. He leads the team in both steals (55) and deflections (107). 

Last night, true to form, he racked up game-highs in steals (4) and deflections (6). 

Yes, we've praised Leon Rose for the signings of Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein, but the DiVincenzo contract looks more and more like a remarkable value with each passing game. DVV is earning $10.9 million in 2023-24. Per Spotrac, 65 guards are making more money than DiVincenzo this season, including Talen Horton-Tucker, Gary Harris, Luke Kennard, Devonte' Graham, Joe Harris, Kyle Lowry, Jordan Clarkson and Jordan Poole.

And, much like his 'Nova pals, some of DiVincenzo's best attributes (unselfishness, locker room leadership, effort, grit) aren't captured in the box score.

"One, I think we have a deep team, but two, I think it's the blueprint that Thibs has given us," Donte DiVincenzo said Monday night. "Guys can step up and play the roles without trying to do too much. We have an identity here, and everybody buys in, and there's a joy that we have with our team right now. Everybody is celebrating one another, but also, everyone is holding everyone accountable."

This camaraderie, chemistry and cohesion has been especially evident on the defensive end. 

The Jazz lead the NBA in scoring in January, averaging 126 points per game. Earlier this month, they tallied 120+ points in 12 straight contests (just one game short of the NBA's all-time record). However, the Knicks put the clamps on them Tuesday night inside MSG. It looked like Utah would score below 100 for just the second time in two months before a few late buckets in garbage time. 

For Knicks fans, this was not the least bit surprising. New York has been utterly dominant on the defensive end this month. In January, they rank:
First in the NBA in Defensive Rating (104.4)
First in Opponents' Points per game (100.1)
First in Opponents' FG Percentage (43.9%)
First in Fewest Opponents' 3PTs per game (10.6)
First in Fewest Opponents' FTAs per game (14.0)
First in Rebounds per game (48.1)
First in Net Rating (+15.8)
First in Wins (14) 

Guys, there's something special going on here. 

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Staying on the defensive theme, a special shoutout to Precious Achiuwa, who made another start at power forward. Not only did Achiuwa pour in 18 points (on 8-of-13 shooting) and grab five boards in his 40 minutes of action, but he was also mighty impressive on the defensive end. Matched up against Utah's leading scorer, Lauri Markkanen, Precious limited him to just five points over 37 possessions as a primary defender. Markkanen finished the night with 14 points total points on 5-of-18 shooting. 

After the game, Thibs had high praise for one of the Knicks' newest additions. "Precious was phenomenal. We're finding out a lot about him," Thibs told reporters. "We saw him play mostly center in Toronto; he's showing us he can handle two positions. He's skilled. He can put the ball on the floor and make a play. His defense, he's got great feet. When he plays with high intensity, he covers a lot of ground."

I was dubious about Achiuwa's ability to play meaningful minutes after his first few games in New York, but he has stepped up with Randle sidelined. And it sounds like he's earning Thibs' trust. 

🏀 Josh Hart also made another start on Tuesday, accumulating 10 points (4-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), ten rebounds, ten assists, two steals, and two blocked shots in 43 minutes. It was the first triple-double of his career, and he became the 10th player in NBA history to record exactly 10 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists in a game. Dude is a winning basketball player.  

🏀 Ho hum. Only 29 points, three rebounds, and nine assists for Jalen Brunson. Last night, his individual over/under point total on FanDuel was 33.5! And he almost hit it. Think about the PGs the Knicks have trotted out over the past 20 years, and then think about the fact New Yorkers now get to watch this guy nightly. 

Brunson will be named an All-Star tomorrow and then be named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month a couple of days later. And that's just the start of the accolades he'll receive this season and during his career in New York. 

🏀 Isaiah Hartenstein logged 29 minutes (his most since returning from an Achilles issue) and looked sharp. He finished with 14 points (6-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot… Quentin Grimes limped to the locker room in the second quarter with what appeared to be a painful knee hyperextension, but fortunately, he was cleared to return to action in the second half. He tallied 12 points, six boards, two treys and two dimes in 20 minutes. 

🏀 Speaking of injuries, I will admit I am now officially concerned about Randle's status, considering it's been five days since the injury, and the Knicks have not provided an official update. And they still have not ruled out surgery. Thibodeau said Tuesday that Randle is still "evaluating treatment options" after dislocating his right shoulder. 

And now Anunoby's right elbow inflammation has sidelined him for two straight contests. Hopefully, we get some good news on both forwards shortly. 

🏀 According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Knicks registered trade interest in Utah's Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk earlier this month, and "Olynyk has drawn interest from various teams across the league, sources say, and is considered Utah's top trade candidate ahead of the deadline by rival executives as he prepares to enter unrestricted free agency in the summer." Neither player looked overly impressive last night. 

Scotto also reports that Quentin Grimes "came up again in separate discussions for Clarkson and Olynyk with the Jazz," adding, "Grimes has also come up in multiple trade discussions with the Atlanta Hawks for guard Dejounte Murray and a separate smaller discussion involving AJ Griffin… The Hawks are intrigued by Grimes as a potential 3-and-D fit next to Trae Young, sources said."

In my opinion, DiVincenzo has been too good to consider making a move for Murray. Breaking up the Knicks' starting backcourt would be unwise, especially considering the assets it would cost to obtain Murray. Not to mention Murray's salary commitment is nearly triple that of DDV. 

Still, the Knicks should remain aggressive. They have an excellent team and an opportunity to make some significant noise this spring. 

And, with just over a week leading up to the deadline, New York finds itself in a favorable position. There are plenty of non-title-contending teams looking to unload veterans. And those clubs are looking for draft capital, which the Knicks have plenty of. 

Check out this nugget tweeted out by Bobby Marks yesterday: "75% of the tradable 1st round picks are controlled by 11 teams: OKC, San Antonio, Utah, New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Orlando, Toronto, Houston, Memphis and Portland."

Most of those clubs are in some phase of a rebuild and would probably prefer to hold onto their picks, whereas the Knicks are in "win-now" mode.

🏀 Here's a list of the most wins the Knicks have registered in a single month:

15 wins in December of 1968 (15-3) 
14 wins in March of 1994 (14-0)
14 wins in January of 2024 (14-2)
14 wins in November of 1969 (14-1)
13 wins in January of 1995 (13-2)

The other three times the Knicks won 14+ games in a month, they advanced to at least the Conference Finals.

🏀 Next Up: The Knicks host the Pacers on Thursday (7:30 tip)

Indiana had a three-game winning streak snapped Thursday night in Boston; however, they welcomed All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who had missed the team's previous five games with a strained left hamstring. It didn't appear that Haliburton suffered any setbacks, so we'll see if he's cleared to suit up on Thursday in what would be a showdown between two All-Star point guards.