RJ Barrett could not wait to return to the court after his 2 of 15 brickfest on Saturday against the Sixers at home.
It was the perfect time for a consecutive conversation in Barrett’s eyes – even if it was against the Eastern Conference favorite, the Bucks.
Barrett placed the Philadelphia fiasco in the rearview mirror and performed strongly in line with his pre-season and season-opening performance. In the Knicks’ 130-110 clash over Milwaukee on Sunday, Barrett was a battering ram again, accumulating 17 points with eight rebounds and four assists. He was also 21 years old.
“You want to get back on the court as soon as possible,” said Barrett. “I was definitely excited to have this opportunity today. ”
Barrett watched the Philadelphia game movie, in which he missed his first nine strokes and was not intimidated. The irony is in the opening of the season against Indiana, Barrett made his first nine shots.
“The best advice was for me – that I would have another one tomorrow,” said Barrett. “I am not the only person who has had a bad night of filming. I was very happy with the result. ”
Coach Tom Thibodeau said he loved Barrett’s mentality.
“Only aggressiveness,” said Thibodeau. “When you don’t shoot, you can’t let it affect other parts of your game. He had a great first game. When you have a game like this, you will get attention. You have to read the game and how they are playing it. You have to use their aggressiveness the way they are doing it for the benefit of our team. He is doing this with penetrating impulses and pressure on the defense and forcing the defenses to collapse. “
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hardly liked this visit to the Garden and not just because the Bucks lost.
The Greek Freak, who recently signed a contract extension to remain in Milwaukee for another five years, ended with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
“It doesn’t feel right – the most famous arena without a crowd,” said Antetokounmpo. “Normally, when I come here, I see 20 Greek flags, people applauding, basically the whole Greek community comes to support me and my team. It’s always good. The Garden always has that pleasant energy and it was empty tonight. Hopefully, the next time we come to the Garden, it will be full. “
Although the Knicks announced that striker Obi Toppin will be reevaluated in 7 to 10 days, Thibodeau looked like his rookie lottery choice could come out for up to two weeks with a calf strain – if not more.
Toppin again aggravated an undisclosed calf injury at the season opener, said Thibodeau. The rehabilitation process left Toppin unable to put any pressure on his leg for a week, affecting his fitness. Toppin will not practice again in 2020.
“When you lose that kind of time, with that kind of injury, there will be a period of time for him to get back to speed in terms of the game,” said Thibodeau. “And then, obviously, with a calf, you can’t run or jump, so the conditioning component will influence that. ”
It should be noted that the last time a Knicks rookie stretched his calf, it was not a good one. Allonzo Trier, in 2018-19, was out for the last 3 and a half weeks of his debut season with a calf strain. Toppin lost his second straight game on Sunday. Between now and January 11, the Knicks play eight more matches. This may mean that Toppin loses a total of 10 games.
Austin Rivers, the signer of the free agent, is due to go through his first contact training session on Monday. He missed all four preseason games with a groin tug and almost the entire training ground.
Thibodeau said he plans to put him back on rotation, according to sources, when he is healthy. … Point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who seemed uninspiring in his debut in the 17-minute season on Saturday, missed Sunday’s game with an injured quadriceps.