O-For-LA
Final Score: Knicks 118 - Clippers 126
Record: 41-25
The first 2.5 quarters of Monday night’s contest with the Clippers were eerily similar to the Knicks loss to the Lakers the day before. New York failed to take care of the basketball, committing too many turnovers that led to easy buckets on the other end, while also being unable to knock down open three-pointers of their own.
It was Groundhog Day in LA.
The ‘Bockers finally started making shots in the second half last night, but the damage had already been done. Worse yet, once their three-balls began dropping, NY abandoned their defensive principles, allowing Los Angeles to short-circuit any momentum.
New York fell behind by as many as 15 in the third quarter, before Karl-Anthony Towns, playing one of his better all-around games of the season, spearheaded a comeback. The Knicks got within five on a few occasions in the final frame, but could never get over the hump, as the home club drilled back-breaking bombs each time the visitors got within striking distance.
Credit to Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers (who are now 26-11 in their last 37 games; the third-best record in the NBA during that stretch), but a lot of wounds during Monday’s mess were self-inflicted. After committing 19 turnovers on Sunday, the Knicks one-upped themselves Monday night, committing 20. It’s the first time in four years that New York has had at least 19 TO’s in consecutive contests.
The Clippers turned those miscues into 24 points, while the Knicks had scored just 10 off LA turnovers. That 14-point differential was the second-largest of the season. Many of those Clipper buckets came in transition, as Los Angeles finished with 19 fast-break points.
When New York was able to set their defense, they made mistakes that cost them dearly. Leonard (who has been a top-5 player in the sport all season) was dominant all evening, pouring 29 points (10-of-19 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs). Thus, it was understandable that Mike Brown and his staff decided after halftime that they wanted to force someone else to beat them. Consequently, they opted to run double teams as LA’s top gun in the second half.
The problem for the Knicks was in their timing and execution when providing defensive help. They often sent additional defenders at Leonard too early, sometimes when he was 30 feet from the rim and early in the shot clock. This approach compromised their defensive structure, allowing Los Angeles to move the ball quickly and find open shooters. The result was numerous uncontested three-point attempts for the Clippers, who capitalized by shooting 18-of-39 from beyond the arc. This was only the second time all season that LA attempted at least 39 threes and shot over 45% from deep.
Kawhi ended his evening with a game-high eight dimes and had several more hockey assists.
“In the second half, we started trying to get the ball out of Kawhi’s hands, and Lopez, Jones and Mathurin made shots,” Brown said after the game.
We’ll dig into the rest of the details from Monday’s defeat in a bit, but first, let me spread some encouraging news…
Yesterday was the first nice, warm day we’ve had here in NY in what seems like ages. As I was walking my kids to the bus stop on Monday morning, I joked, “In case you were wondering, that glowing orb in the sky is something we call the sun and that green stuff on the ground is grass.”
Yes, it seems we have survived a brutal Long Island winter, and far more pleasant days are not far away.
Well, the same could be said of the Knicks.
Monday’s game was their fifth in seven days, across three different time zones (four of those on the road). Including the win over San Antonio last Sunday, that made six consecutive games against playoff teams.
Despite the two LA losses, the Knicks went a respectable 3-3 during this stretch.
Hell Week is in the review mirror. They made it through.
Now, the snow starts melting. There are far fewer ice patches to avoid; less bitter cold spells with blustery wind whipping all around.
The Knicks’ upcoming schedule features far fewer championship contenders and many more tanking teams.
The Knicks travel to Utah on Wednesday to take on the 20-45 Jazz before wrapping up their road trip in Indiana against the Pacers (the team with the worst record in the entire Eastern Conference). They then return home to host a Warriors squad that has lost four of its last five games and is missing Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.
That begins a span in which New York plays four of five at MSG, with only one road game in Brooklyn. The team will be able to sleep in their own beds for 11 straight nights.
Their opponents over this span include the Pacers, Wizards, Pelicans and Nets.
New York doesn’t play an opponent with a winning record again until March 29th.
The combined record of the Knicks’ next seven opponents is 139-453
@ Utah
@ Indiana
vs. Golden State
vs. Indiana
@ Brooklyn
vs. Washington
vs. New Orleans
That is, by far, the easiest schedule in the NBA over the next 2+ weeks.
And here is the cherry on top for all the fellow washed-up East Coast dads out there:
Wednesday night in Utah is the last time the Knicks will play a game that starts after 8:00 pm EST until the NBA Finals in June.
