Rockets 105, Knicks 103: Brunson burned

The Knicks were robbed last night in Houston, but the real thievery is coming from inside the house

Well, this is going to be a tough one to write about. The Knicks lost a heartbreaker in Houston in a game that was, frankly, decided by the refs. Crazy free-throw discrepancies occur quite often, so a 33-12 advantage in attempts for Houston isn’t unimpeachable evidence of a scandal. But after the Knicks fought back to tie the game in the final seconds, Aaron Holiday threw up a last-second heave, contorting his body into a contesting Jalen Brunson. There was no foul on the play, but a referee decided the game needed to end there anyway.

So what is there left to talk about? There isn’t much the Knicks can do about the refs having a bad night. Was there anything they could control? Unfortunately yes. None of it lost them the game, but some worrying things happened that could have long-term ramifications. Let’s dive in.

An ugly ref show

It wasn’t just the officiating that went the other way against the Knicks. If there were a margin to be gained, anywhere, it felt like the Rockets got the edge. They shot better from three and the foul line while turning it over five fewer times. The cherry on top? Brunson struggled mightily as he was battered and bruised the whole way through. The Knicks had no business being in this game. 

But they were in this game. On the backs of almost heroic performances from Donte DiVincenzo, Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart (for a half), the Knicks fought like their lives depended on it and gave themselves a real shot at stealing a victory. Achiuwa is really showing the Knicks something, taking his opportunity and running with it: 17 rebounds, including nine offensive, three blocks and exceptional defense.

What Hart did may have been even more important. Tom Thibodeau’s infatuation with him is hardly a secret at this point; he’s going to play him no matter what. When Hart is reluctant to shoot, he hurts the team by allowing opposing defenses to sag off of him in the paint. But last night Hart brought his usual energy, combined with an offensive aggressiveness not seen much this season. If he can start having the impact he did last season, this Knicks team becomes even more dangerous.

And let’s not ignore that Brunson “struggling mightily” is a game that sees him finish with 27 points on 25 shots after spending the entire game hounded by Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson and Aaron Holiday, three exceptional defenders allowed to play as physically as anyone has against him all season. Yet there was Brunson, with 10 seconds left in the game, still standing, ball in hand, down two, dancing on Brooks before nailing the game-tying stepback jumper.

The minutes quandary

With 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, Alec Burks checked into the game for Brunson. Why was this significant? Because aside from Bojan Bogdanović replacing Jericho Sims, it was the first substitution the Knicks made in the second half. All five Knicks starters played the entire third quarter.

This would be extreme for a playoff game, nevertheless a road game in February. Forget the risk of injury – we’ll talk about that in a second – players lose their effectiveness the longer they stay on the court. This game was no different. Thibodeau kept the starters in as they erased a 14-point deficit, only to leave them out there as Holiday went on a personal 9-0 run in a flash.

This was already bordering on catastrophic when the worst almost happened. With 5:12 left in the fourth, DiVincenzo asked out of the game, pointing to his hamstring. Keep in mind DiVincenzo finished the game having played over 41 minutes — that means that if Thibodeau had his way, DiVincenzo was on his way to playing 46 of 48 minutes. That’s 40+ minutes a game for seven games now, for a guy who’s averaged just over 24 for his career.

I don’t know what should scare Knicks fans more: the inevitability of an injury, or how (un?)interested Thibodeau is in protecting his players from one. Assuming DiVincenzo misses Wednesday’s game, that will put four of the Knicks’ five starters out of commission. Of course not all of that is on Thibodeau. But that shouldn’t prevent him from adjusting his methodology to prioritize the Knicks’ macro goals.

Would it have been unreasonable for DiVincenzo to push 40 minutes? Probably not. They are shorthanded, after all. But why cut Deuce McBride from the rotation entirely? His first half minutes were fine. Could he not have spared DiVincenzo sooner? Or Brunson? What is it going to take for Thibodeau to stop missing the forest for the trees? Just because the game being played in the present is right in front of him doesn’t mean it’s always the most important thing. The Knicks have a legitimate shot this season. Finally, there are grander aspirations in play for this team.

But those aspirations go out the window if the team isn’t fully healthy and ready for the playoffs. I’m not imploring the Knicks to forget about the regular season. Seeding matters. And Thibodeau’s biggest strength is his ability to get his team to play night in and night out. I don’t want him to stop doing what makes him great. But there has to be a middle ground. Thibodeau can still be Thibodeau while reeling in the minutes for his most important players.

The Knicks were robbed last night. They deserved to see overtime, at the least. There’s nothing they can do about the despicable performance Ed Malloy and his crew put together. But they almost lost more than just a game. And if Thibodeau continues down this path of ignoring the team’s season-long goals to win each minute, it’s not a matter of if but when this season is brought to an unceremonious end.