Knicks Blitz Brooklyn, Get Back over .500
Only three players in the NBA are averaging more than 38 minutes per game over the past two weeks. All three are Knicks (Bridges, Hart, OG).
Final Score: Knicks 114 - Nets 104
Record: 7-6
That's more like it. No massive comeback was required. No fourth-quarter flop needed to be overcome.
The Knicks jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the second quarter Sunday night at MSG and never looked back, cruising to a relatively drama-free ten-point victory.
Once again, New York's starting unit carried much of the load, with four of the team's five starters reaching the 20-point plateau. Surprisingly, Jalen Brunson was the only member of the quintet not to tally 20, as he struggled with his jumper all night, shooting just 3-of-14 en route to 12 points.
In previous seasons, such an inefficient offensive performance from Brunson likely would have resulted in a Knicks loss. Yet, this year's edition has the firepower to put up points even if their Captain is scuffling. New York is now 3-0 this season in games where JB scores fewer than 20 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing Friday's contest due to a contused left knee, led the way on Sunday, pouring in a game-high 26 points. Not only did he shoot 10-of-16 from the floor and knock down each of his five free throws, but KAT also ripped down a game-high 15 boards and dished out six assists in 29 minutes.
Per Basketball Reference, Towns became the first player in Knicks franchise history to tally 25+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ assists in less than 30 minutes. The only other players in NBA history to match or exceed those numbers in < 30 minutes are Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, Nurkic and Kareem.
KAT continues exceeding even the loftiest expectations early on in his Knicks tenure. Over his last nine appearances, he is averaging a whopping 30.1 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.0 made three-pointers while shooting a scorching 54.9% from the floor and 48% from behind the arc.
He is the only player in NBA history to average more than 25 points, more than 12 rebounds and more than 2.5 made three-pointers per game over the first 12 games of a season.
Unfortunately, Towns took a hard fall onto his lower back late in the third quarter, which is certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward (more on that below).
KAT wasn't the only Knick to author a brilliant all-around performance vs. Brooklyn. OG Anunoby was dominant on both ends of the floor Sunday night, racking up 24 points (9-of-17 FGs), eight rebounds, one block, and three 3-pointers. Just as importantly, he kept the Nets' top gun, Cam Thomas, in check. After Thomas exploded for 43 points on Friday, OG was primarily responsible for limiting him to 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting last night.
While we all expected Anunoby to resume his role as the Knicks' defensive demon this season, OG's offensive exploits have raised eyebrows. Anunoby is averaging 17.5 points per game, which would represent a career-high, while slashing 50/37/80%. He's one of only 20 players in the NBA averaging 17+ PPG and 2+ made three-pointers per game with a True Shooting percentage north of 60%.
He's been a beast.
OG's tag-team partner on the wing, Mikal Bridges, also made significant contributions on both ends in the victory over Brooklyn, finishing with 21 points (9-of-18 FGs), six rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers. After plenty of ups and downs over the first few weeks of the season, Bridges has now scored 20+ points, grabbed 5+ boards and shot at least 50% from the floor in three straight games.
Not to be outdone, Josh Hart did Josh Hart things all evening, accumulating 20 points (8-of-13 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), eight rebounds, eight assists, and three 3-pointers. As well as KAT, Bridges and OG played Sunday night, it could be argued that Hart was, once again, the team's MVP in the victory.
Incredibly, he is now averaging 9.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season. The only other players in the league averaging 9+ boards and 6+ dimes are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis, and Nikola Jokić. (Hart and Joker are the only two who also average 1+ steal and 1+ three-pointer.)
Yet, although Hart's numbers are undeniably impressive, they don't capture just how impactful and important he is to the Knicks.
We say it often, yet probably don't say it enough: Hart is the heart and soul of this team.
Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:
🏀 Part of the reason Knicks players' counting stats have been elevated of late is due to consistently high MPG, which continues to be a hallmark of the Tom Thibodeau regime.
Bridges (who leads the NBA in minutes per game) and Hart both logged 45+ minutes Sunday night and played every second of the second half. OG saw 40 minutes of action.
Here are the NBA's leaders in minutes played over the past two weeks:
1. Mikal Bridges: 322 minutes
2. Josh Hart: 309 mins
3. OG Anunoby: 305
4. Keegan Murray: 301
5. De'Aaron Fox: 297
6. Devin Booker: 295
7. Cade Cunningham: 294
8. Jalen Brunson: 290
9. Anthony Edwards: 289
10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 280
During this stretch, only three players in the league have appeared in 8+ games and averaged over 38 minutes per game. All three are Knicks (Bridges, Hart, OG).
Thibs apologists get upset when someone dares even to mention minutes, but this heavy of a workload, this early in this season, needs to be acknowledged/addressed (esp. re: OG, who has a history of soft tissue injuries).
🏀 Last night's minutes' distribution was particularly confounding considering:
a) it was the front end of a back-to-back
b) the Knicks' lead never dipped below seven points over the final 18 minutes
c) Pacome Dadiet looked good during his stint in the first half
d) Ariel Hukporti looked great on Friday
e) KAT was dinged up
Although Dadiet didn't score before halftime, he posted the best plus/minus among all bench players last night, with New York outscoring Brooklyn by nine points in the ten minutes he was on the court.
I have been especially impressed with his defense. In this possession last night, Pacome fought through two screens to stay in front of Jalen Wilson (who had 15 points on 7 FG attempts in the game) and forced Wilson to pass. Then Dadiet seamlessly switches onto Zaire Williams and forces Williams into a tough, contested fadeaway, which misses and the Knicks rebound.
If it's true that defense is the way to earn Thibs' trust, it would seem that Dadiet is well on his way. Yet, the rookie never got off the bench in the second half.
🏀 As for Hukporti, he was disappointingly smacked with DNP-CD on Sunday. This after he looked terrific in Friday's victory, as he became the first Knick reserve since 2017 to tally 4+ blocks and 3+ assists off the bench.
When asked what he saw from The Incredible Huk on Friday, Thibodeau replied: "Some good, some things that obviously we can do better. Overall, the energy was good, and we've just gotta make sure we're executing and not to get overzealous where you're opening things up. But I'd rather have the problem of high energy than trying to get the guy going. Overall, I think he's done a really good job. I like him a lot."
However, Jericho Sims was the only backup big to see any action last night, logging 18 minutes. Sims finished with two points and four boards. He posted a plus/minus of -4.
Speaking with reporters, Thibodeau was questioned about playing Sims ahead of Hukporti. "[Sims] is number one among centers in defensive field goal percentage in the restricted area," Thibs explained. "So I know what he provides there. And then, his screening, his ability to put pressure on the rim… it's a different type of pressure. KAT can play away from the basket, but Jericho is going hard to the rim. And then, what it does is it allows us to switch more."
Thibodeau was also asked if Hukporti had done enough to be a regular part of the rotation. "There's a lot more to it. It's how the team functions. When you're talking about defensive field goal percentage in the restricted, Jericho is very, very high," Thibodeau said. "So we need both of those guys to be able to play well and contribute. And whoever is going better with that group is going to play a little bit more. But Jericho has done good for us. Hukporti has done a good job. You need everybody."
🏀 While Sims' DFG% at the rim is solid (33%), he only defended 27 shots this season.
In terms of defensive field goal percentage on all attempts, Hukporti is superior. Opponents are shooting just 46.8% when defended by Huk, while shooting 47.3% against against Sims.
It's important to note these are very small sample sizes, so we don't want to read too much into the stats, but it's not as though Sims has been impenetrable and Huporti has been a sieve.
As an aside, if we are talking about defensive field goal percentage, Dadiet leads the team at 29.4%. (Hukporti ranks second.)
The Knicks' worst defender, based on DFG%, is Cam Payne (58%). Yes, that's worse than Tyler Kolek.
Again, this is another reason NOT to read too much into DFG% stats, but if the head coach focuses on that metric, it is worth looking at the numbers team-wide.
#PlayTheKids
🏀 Next Up:
Knicks host the Wizards tonight (7:30 tip)
The Wizards are awful. They rank 29th in the NBA in OffRtg, 30th in DefRtg and dead last in Net Rating as well (-12.5).
The Wiz, who are 2-10 on the season, enter MSG riding an eight-game losing streak. This is also the back end of a back-to-back for Washington. They were blown out at home by the Pistons on Sunday night.
The Knicks need to take advantage and secure an easy, stress-free victory. After this contest, New York will embark on a tough five-game road trip, beginning Wednesday in Phoenix.
It will be interesting if KAT is given a night off to nurse his injuries. When asked last night if he planned to play Monday, Towns responded, "That's always the plan: To play."
Stay tuned.