Coming from a lethargic 26-point defeat on Tuesday in San Antonio, the Knicks decisively defeated the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, improving the New York record to more than .500 by going to the All-Star range for the first time. time in eight years.
On Tuesday against the Spurs, the Knicks looked like they were ready to start the week early, but Tom Thibodeau does not accept lackluster efforts. New York had Elfrid Payton back and on the starting lineup, but not Derrick Rose (outside the health and safety protocol). Taj Gibson remains out after recently twisting his ankle, leaving the Knicks light in the center.
The Pistons, in turn, are the last in the East and the second worst in the NBA. They were without their two top scorers (Jerami Grant and Josh Jackson). The Knicks could not let this one escape. Especially with a difficult second half of the season approaching.
With the win, the Knicks are now 19-18 in the middle of the 2020-21 season, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and only half a game for fourth-placed Boston Celtics. They are 8-3 out of their last 11, are led by a genuine All-Star in Julius Randle and employ a candidate for Coach of the Year in Thibs.
The outcome of the contest was questioned several times throughout the night, although, truth be told, the Knicks took control from the start and kept Detroit under control. RJ Barrett, who started the night with an average of 18 points and 4 rebounds in 55% of the shots in the last four games, was determined to keep up the good work.
He had three assists in the first minutes, including some nice passes to Payton. By the time Randle got his first bucket in the middle of the period, forcing Dwane Casey to time out, the Knicks were 6-8 on the floor and 14-8.
Randle, coming from one of his poorest efforts this season against the Spurs (14 points out of 6 to 16 shots, 11 rebounds and 5 assists), kicked off a notable first period to put himself back on track. He posted 10 points in 4-6 of the field, plus 4 scholarships and 1 assist. He was assisted by Elf, who aggressively drove to the edge all night and scored 8 points in the first quarter, as did RJ, who scored 6 points and 3 assists in the first.
At one point, the Pistons hit six consecutive shots to get inside one, and it was soon 26-26. But Alec Burks hit a bucket with two minutes left to make it 28-26, followed by a three-point basket from Frank Ntilikina, aided with love by Randle, to put the Knicks back in six.
The start of the second quarter was perhaps the best moment in the franchise’s history since Walt Clyde Frazier and Willis Reed brought the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy home nearly five decades ago. Frank sank back three, taking what Clyde called a “fortuitous” jump on one and being knocked down the next. The Pistons, being a killjoy, defied the false decision and won. The three counted, but Frank did not get the free throw.
The Knicks maintained the advantage in the following minutes, thanks to Randle, who had 8 more points, 6 bags and 1 assist in the second quarter, to double the interval (18 points and 10 bags). Not to mention Barrett, who ended the semester with 10 points, 3 bags and 3 coins. Towards the end of the second, the Knicks came out in an 11-0 streak that featured the following cool RJ slam, and at the break New York led 13, 59-46.
Payton opened the second half by draining a corner three, having been left open by none other than Dennis Smith Jr. But the Pistons responded with some three points of their own, and as described earlier, it seemed that the Knicks still had control but the possibility remained that they could suddenly and spectacularly.
Collectively, however, the Knicks stayed together, with seven ‘Bockers entering the board in the third period, led by 7 points each from Elf and Reggie Bullock and 5 each from Randle and Burks.
Eventually, it was 77-66 Knicks, which is just a result of looking cool. So it was 82-66. Sighs of relief can be heard throughout the New York metropolitan area. These sighs were premature, even though Randle’s last second layup to end the period increased the Knicks by 19.
The bench failed to score in the first minutes of the quarter, while the Pistons made five consecutive points to take the game to 14. Thibs, upset, asked for a timeout and brought Randle and the rest of the starters back to try to hit the ship.
Side note: Frank’s pull, which sank three three in nine minutes of the first half while playing his usual petty defense, was strange. But Thibs was getting impatient that the Knicks would never score again. Ntilikina was a victim of the bench unit’s overall poor performance.
Thibodeau’s move paid off, as the starters maintained an advantage of around 10 points for most of the quarter. Detroit never gave up, but New York never gave up.
In the final minute, the crowd shouted for Thibs to put Theo Pinson, but he, like his team in the game, refused to budge. Ultimately, the Knicks won 114-104. They beat a team that they were supposed to defeat, and they did it very convincingly.
Grades:
> Thursday was Obi Toppin’s 23rd birthday. Happy birthday, Obi! Toppin did some skillful layups against the Pistons, but he will need to bury him with authority on Sunday if he wants to have a chance to win the dunk contest. Go Obi!
> The victory marks the 10th time the Knicks have defeated an opponent 10 or more this season; they did this only seven times in 66 games last year and four times in a standard 2018-19 season with a total of 82 games.
> Nerlens Noel once again deserves his point of view. He had 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. After one of these blocks, he wagged his finger at Dikembe Mutombo.
> RJ also deserves a marker, but after that, enough free markers! Barrett had 21 points (9-13 shots), 4 bags and 5 assists. The 5 assists drew their high point of the season.
> If you haven’t already, read Julius Randle’s article in Player’s Tribune. He’s ready to stay in New York, and New York should be there to keep him.
> The Knicks’ next match will be played on March 11 against the Milwaukee Bucks, exactly one year after the day the Knicks played their last game last season against the Atlanta Hawks, a victory.
Herbert Pollack was absolutely correct in the comments when expressing the following about tonight’s Knicks: “good recovery, much better energy.”
Much better energy, Herbert. Have a good All-Star break for everyone. The second half of the season can be tough, but the Knicks are on the hunt.