Mitchell who?
Nerlens Noel made a beautiful approach to the injured Knicks center pivot, Mitchell Robinson. Immanuel Quickley made Kentucky Wildcat teammate John Wall even more proud, hitting his first six shots and hitting big 3 points in the second half when the Rockets were recovering.
Quickley ended up with a spectacular 22 points, draining seven out of nine shots – four out of six out of 3. Julius Randle was Julius Randle.
Derrick Rose, playing before his former Knicks coach / current Rockets assistant Jeff Hornacek, was quick for the third game in a row, adding 16 more points.
The Knicks played the first half of the season most impeccably in the first game without Robinson and ended with a 121 to 99 rout over the Rockets at a Garden, which will have fans to enjoy it in 10 days.
The triumph crowned a fantastic Valentine’s Day weekend with consecutive hits in Washington and Houston, which put the Knicks close to 0.500 in 13-15 – seventh place in the conference. Basketball in New York is starting to fall in love with the disjointed Knicks, especially Quickley.
This spoiled Wall’s first Garden game since December 3, 2018, when he was with the Wizards. Yes, it’s been so long.
The newest member of the Rockets is happy to be back and pleased with the success of another Kentucky shipowner. Wall was dazzled with 26 points in the defeat.
“He’s someone I respect,” Wall said of Quickley before the game. “I am very happy that he had the opportunity. I’m glad he’s showing people that he’s more than just a sniper. That’s a lot of what people thought. The way he manages the position of owner has been good. It will be good to go against him. “
Wall, who starred in Kentucky in 2009-10, still follows John Calipari’s show closely. And the longtime wizard had a chance to meet the novice point guard for the Knicks, who came from Baltimore and played two seasons for Kentucky.
Even after Saturday’s defeat, Wall made a point of encouraging Quickley some more.
“He told me I was having a good season, he told me to keep working,” said Quickley. “And just keep it. It’s a long season, but I keep getting better every day. ”
Wall visited Kentucky last season during rehab, watching the Wildcats play Florida. Quickley scored 26 points, the best of his career, with Wall watching and they made a video together. This time, he reached 22 points.
“It was cool, ” said Quickley after his big performance in the second half. “We bleed blue. It has been part of my development. ” Giving me words of encouragement. It’s good to see you on the floor. ”
In fact, Quickley admitted to the Lexington Herald-Leader that he was interested in the Wildcats because of Wall.
“Obviously, everyone knows John Wall,” said Quickley in 2016. “He can go up and down the court in three, four dribbles. And it involves everyone. This is just one of the many John Calipari shipowners I have observed. “
Wall is particularly proud of Quickley.
“I saw him play in Baltimore before,” said Wall before facing the Knicks. “I talked to him before I went to Kentucky. We made a short video together when I watched them play last year. “
Quickley left the bench for the Knicks in the first 28 games, and his career took a new hit with the arrival of Rose. Social media was concerned about Rose and would adversely affect Quickley’s minutes. Au contraire.
Coach Tom Thibodeau turned Rose and Quickley into an off-the-bench defense team and was a success.
“I am learning many things [from him], ” Quickley said. “I don’t want to reveal why I am going to take many things with me throughout my career. So, really just your energy. He’s a dog, an alpha dog, he’s a leader. It’s great to have someone like that by my side. ”
Saturday’s first two quarters were a masterpiece, with the Knicks building a 63-47 lead. They scored when they wanted. They did not commit their first turn until 57 seconds left of the break, when Randle tried to find Noel and sent him outside.
Randle was certainly looking for his new starting center, Noel, now that Robinson could be gone for six weeks with a broken hand.
Robinson watched from the second row of the bank in a white shirt and a white cast in his right hand – probably undergoing surgery.
Wall, did not play last season and had his 2018-19 season interrupted by a heel injury before a torn Achilles tendon. Quickley had a great mentor on Wall, and now the torch has been passed on to Rose.
“It’s your ability to make the best of everyone around you,” said Thibodeau of Rose.
“They are a team that plays hard,” said Wall as he entered the game. “Do you know how Thibs plays [his teams]. Julius [Randle] is playing well, and D-Rose just went over there and we all know what he does. They are a good team on the rise. ”
The Knicks proved it on Saturday.