Friday was a disappointment against rebuilding the Thunder. Sunday was just an old-fashioned defeat against rival Nuggets.
The Knicks’ great start is losing its luster with Tom Thibodeau’s team defeated 114-89. After winning five of six games, the Knicks lost two straight to drop to 0.500 in 5-5. They scored 89 points in each of the last two matches.
Only Julius Randle showed up – a one-man show in defeat when he scored 29 points, hitting 11 of 16 shots. Other than that, their attack was a disaster, as they hit 40 percent in the first half, when the game was decided.
Denver’s great star Nikola Jokic did not start sweating, scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes, with six Nuggets players hitting double digits.
“We don’t play well overall,” said Thibodeau. “Some nights you will shoot better than others. When you don’t defend and you don’t shoot well, there is almost no chance of winning. Therefore, we have to rely on our intensity, our defense. There is nothing you are doing right now, but that does not mean that we cannot change that. “
The Knicks probably didn’t let their guard down, but the talent gap was noticeable. The Knicks also failed to make free throws, going 19 out of 25.
It was a second hard and direct performance by RJ Barrett, who scored 4 of 13 for nine points and three turns.
The Knicks will play in Charlotte Monday and face rookie point guard LaMelo Ball, who is coming out of his first triple-double career.
The Knicks were also without work. Early in the third quarter, Gary Harris sent the Knicks out for an offensive rebound, grabbing him between three Knicks.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Harris escaped from the left wing and jumped into a tomahawk jam with his right hand. The bank of the Nuggets burst so loud that you could hear their screams on the Chase bridge, where the selected media is positioned near the roof of the garden.
The Knicks sucked in the second quarter, scoring just one point – no field goal – in the first 5:25, when the Nuggets pulled away.
With 2:07 to the end of the break, during a timeout, a public relations officer from Knicks crossed the court to distribute the points to the team leaders sitting 10 feet behind the sideline, where it used to be the row of celebrities .
President Leon Rose, senior vice president William Wesley, GM Scott Perry and GM assistant Allan Houston looked at the depressing sheet of paper that the Knicks lost by 52-34 and the team shooting 38.9%.
Apart from Randle’s 7 out of 10 shots, the rest of his Knicks were just 7 out of 26 at that point.
At halftime, Randle scored 16 points, but the Knicks lost 59-38. Led by Jokic’s 14 points, the Nuggets hit 56 percent at halftime and made 6 of 14 points out of 3, while Denver led by up to 22 points.
Jokic came with an average of a double double of 24 points – a candidate for MVP.
“He’s a special player,” said Thibodeau. “All aspects of his game. We are seeing it in the league now – the skill set of the greats is unusual. They are like guards. When you look at the steps they took, it followed his development. ”
For the second consecutive game, debutant guard Immanuel Quickley gave no spark as the teams adjusted to their electric game. In a sequence, Jokic was sent to form a pair and the rookie tried to escape, pushing for an offensive foul.
After a timeout, Thibodeau made sure to speak to Quickley before entering the huddle. Quickley went without goals – 13 minus 5:40 of the time. Thibodeau played Dennis Smith Jr., recovered from injuries, over Quickley in the final minutes.
Kevin Knox also struggled, being pulled after a wild jump pass went off limits in a counterattack. The Knicks did not score any points in the interval.
When the Knicks dropped to 14 at the end of the third, Jokic started work. He hit a ridiculous 18-foot despair with the shot clock about to expire and Robinson covered him all over. In the next possession, Robinson bought a fake shot and Jokic fired for him for an undisputed thing.