The Knicks Collapse In The Fourth Quarter. Again.

After scoring 14 points in the first eight minutes of the third quarter, Quentin Grimes would not attempt a single shot over the game's final 15 minutes. Not one. Zero FG attempts.

Everything was working. 

The Knicks were beating up on a Blazers team committed to tanking. With less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Quentin Grimes (more on him in a bit) knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the contest, giving New York a seemingly insurmountable 23-point lead.

Yes, New York led Portland 82-59 with less than 16 minutes left in the game. 

At that moment, you'd have to excuse Knicks fans for allowing themselves to feel hopeful. Fresh off a stunning defeat of the Warriors in Golden State two days prior, New York was going to wrap up their West Coast road trip with two straight wins, thanks to their 21-year-old rookie, who was dominating both ends of the floor in the third quarter. They were going to carry plenty of momentum back to MSG and into Monday's matchup with the OKC Thunder (who have lost five games in a row and 12 of their last 15). If they beat Oklahoma City, the Knicks would have an opportunity to enter the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak if they knocked off the stumbling Nets, who have lost a league-high 11 straight games and would be playing without Kyrie Irving Wednesday night at the Garden.

Meanwhile, the two teams ahead of the Knicks in the standings, the Hornets and the Hawks, were dealing with issues of their own. Charlotte, who was beaten by Memphis on Saturday, has lost seven of their last eight games and has fallen back to .500. Atlanta (who has lost three of four and are three games below .500) announced Saturday that star forward John Collins has been diagnosed with a right foot strain and will be sidelined through the All-Star break.

So, you have to forgive Knicks fans if they were feeling some tinges of optimism. Again, the score was 82-59. Things seemed to be headed in the right direction. 

Of course, as we know, the Knicks would go on to lose to Portland, with the Blazers outscoring the 'Bockers 51-20 over the final 16 minutes of regulation. 

The disastrous fourth quarter was emblematic of problems that have plagued New York this entire season.

After building up a gigantic lead by pushing the pace, getting quick shots in transition, and moving the basketball with purpose over the first three quarters, New York's offense ground down to a halt in the final frame. To borrow a football term on Super Bowl Sunday, it was as if the Knicks shifted to a prevent defense and played "not to lose." They pivoted to an isolation-heavy offense, and everything bogged down. 

Over the final 16 minutes of the game, New York shot just 6-of-25 (25%) from the floor. Of those 25 attempts, 13 came from behind the arc. The Knicks had more turnovers (5) than assists (3). 

On the other end of the floor, Portland obliterated the Knicks' defense, shooting 20-of-34 (58.8%). They also clobbered New York on the boards, out-rebounding New York 25-9 to close out the game.  

Let's take a brief respite from the bludgeoning to highlight how the Knicks built their enormous cushion (before throwing it away).

First and foremost, Julius Randle once again stuffed the stat sheet racking up 28 points (he was 12-of-13 from the charity stripe), 16 rebounds, six assists and five turnovers in 40 minutes. As I detailed in Saturday's post, Randle popped back to life during the Knicks five-game road trip, averaging a whopping 29.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists. It seems as though Randle has relocated his MoJo on the West Coast. We'll see if he can carry it back to New York. 

The other silver lining from last night was the phenomenal all-around play of Quentin Grimes, who finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting (5-of-8 from behind the arc), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one turnover.

The rookie scored 14 of his 20 points in the third quarter, with his unique, well-rounded skill-set on full display. One three-minute stretch was particularly impressive. 

Grimes sank his second three-pointer of the quarter with eight minutes left in the third and the Knicks up ten. 

On the Knicks' next offensive trip, Grimes knocked down another triple, this one a contested jumper from the left elbow. 

Less than a minute later, Grimes comes up with a steal at halfcourt and feeds Julius Randle for a driving layup.

After the Randle layup, the Blazers then inbound the ball, bring it up the floor, and guess what happens. Grimes comes up with another steal and is fouled flagrantly by a frustrated Josh Hart. 

Grimes hit his fourth three-pointer in the quarter with just under five minutes left in the frame, putting the Knicks up by 23 points.

Incredibly, despite his scoring outburst, Grimes would not attempt a single shot over the game's final 15 minutes. Not one. Zero FG attempts. 

This brings us back to the fourth-quarter collapse.  

After the game, coach Tom Thibodeau seemed to question his team's toughness. "We've just got to find a way to get that done," Thibodeau told reporters. "That's what toughness is about. That's why competitiveness, toughness, all that matters. Discipline."

However, the head coach himself deserves plenty of criticism for his performance. Saturday's loss to the Blazers was the second time on this trip that New York blew a 20-point lead (and they almost squandered a 15-point fourth-quarter advantage in Golden State).