Knicks 117, Mavericks 109: “Gimme five”
The Knicks extended their win streak to five games — their best streak in seven years — behind a 44-point herculean effort by Julius Randle and key contributions from RJ Barrett and Derrick Rose, besting the Mavericks, 117-109.
The Knicks beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-109 an hour ago and I’m sitting at my desk in quiet dumbfoundedness, still unsure what to say about it. If you’ve ever been involuntarily single for a while and then one day met someone you felt that spark with, that’s how I feel. New York has won five in a row for the first time in seven years. They’re sixth in the East, winners of nearly two-thirds of their home games and a stone’s throw from a .500 mark on the road. How many teams are currently indisputably better than them? Nine, I’d say: the top three in the East and top six out West. What a year. What a night. What a team.
What a start to this one: in the first five minutes, Julius Randle hit all five of his shots, including three 3-pointers. ‘Twas a high-scoring first leg, all even at 19 midway through the opening quarter. That’s a pace to score 152 points, which did not happen, and is a reminder of the folly of projecting too far into the future, like, oh, say, deciding in 2019 that the Mavs won the Kristaps Porziņģis trade. Dallas is paying KP $157 million through 2024, including $29 million this season. Randle makes $10 million less. Pero mira:
Julius finished the first with 15, passing the baton to Derrick Rose, who checked in and looked comfortable targeting Porziņģis over and over, scoring seven straight late. This last-second long ball from Immanuel Quickley put the Knicks up nine after one.
In the second, Dallas microwave Tim Hardaway Jr. exploded for 11 points, taking advantage of his height advantage over Rose and Quickley. Luka Dončić took advantage of being a superstar to F with Reggie Bullock, talking at him for a while before putting him on a string, making him dance on D to no avail, then throwing his arm back into Bullock’s face with zero repercussions. Porziņģis and Dončić struggled to score, but Luka’s a superstar for reasons, one of which is his playmaking, on display via his nine first-half assists. Speaking of assists, remember last year when Randle wouldn’t pass to RJ Barrett? Those days are long gone.
The Knicks outshot the Mavs 51% to 41% in the first half and had nearly four times as many assists as turnovers. Two ominous notes: they’d only attempted three free throws, and Dončić had been unusually quiet scoring.
The third quarter was the lone Heraclitean frame in an otherwise pretty predominantly Parmenidean affair, i.e. the most turbulent time of the game. A Josh Richardson 3-pointer put Dallas ahead for the first time since the early minutes. Randle drove and found Bullock for a corner three to reclaim the lead. Luka spun, drove, and fed a cutting KP for the slam. Tie game. It was back and forth the rest of the quarter. Randle was a two-way terror, here hitting a tough look while being fouled; he’d make the free throw.
Soon after he ended up switched on Dončić he let him know: “I’m not trapped out here with you. You’re trapped out here with me.”
Porziņģis hit a beautiful off-glass off-the-dribble pull-up, which the Knicks saw and rose behind Taj Gibson and Randle swishing shots in the last minute of the third.
With Alec Burks out due to COVID protocol, how would Tom Thibodeau approach a 4-point lead to open the fourth quarter? Surprisingly enough, Obi Toppin and Frank Ntilikina checked in for the opening minutes. But looking more like Nightwing than Robin to Randle’s Batman, Barrett would prove the difference, opening the action with a 3-point play before a snaking finish over fellow Canuck Dwight Powell under the hoop, then a catch-and-shoot transition 3-pointer to put the Knicks up nine.
RJ scored 13 in the final frame, most with Randle resting. An incredible hanging finish from Rose helped the lead get up to 12.
For a few minutes mid-fourth, the Knicks fell into settling for shots the Mavs wanted them to take rather than pushing for the looks they wanted. Of course, sometimes getting what you want isn’t the same thing as getting what makes you happy. Dorian Finney-Smith got the look he wanted, but thanks to Nerlens Noel — back after missing a game with a sore ankle — it didn’t make him any happier.
The refs took 10 minutes basically reviewing whether Noel untucking KP’s jersey was a “hostile act,” suggesting they may have never known the joy of someone helping you tear off your clothes for a zesty quickie. Dallas never did more than loiter late in the contest, to which Randle offered both rejoinder and riposte.
This win hit different. I started this recap two hours ago and this win is still hitting.
Notes
44 for Randle, his second 40-piece this season and one off his career-high. That means three straight games with 30-plus points. The airspace around Randle is getting rareified.
An ESPN graphic said Randle has six 30/5/5 games this year, the most by a Knick since Starbury in 2005. History has not been kind to Steph’s rep as a Knick, but he could play. He just wasn’t as good as he thought at a time when the Knicks’ reputation was beginning its fall from grace.
24 points, eight rebounds and three 3-pointers for Barrett. He’s kinda almost automatic on corner 3-pointers, or if not at least improved enough that he makes enough of them for that to feel familiar instead of him missing. I am so, so loving the leveling up he’s shown this season.
Rose scored over KP at least four times. He won’t win Sixth Man of the Year (interested in the case for Dario Šarić?), but his presence on the Knicks’ bench gives them a different dimension and has helped soften the blow of Quickley’s rookie up and downs. Rose deserves some down-ballot votes, at least.
31 big minutes from Noel’s game, who in addition to de-posterizing Finney-Smith’s stuff attempt bested THJ at the rim in the first half. Like Rose, Noel brings a dimension to the Knicks that — with Mitchell Robinson out injured — they don’t otherwise possess.
If Noel had spatulas instead of hands, he would not drop passes any more than he does now.
This is where you miss Mitch.
Luka tied a career-best with 19 assists.
This:
ESPN announcer Mark Jones repeatedly stated teams are “starting” to defend KP with smaller players, which made me think “Haha ever heard of 2016?”, which made me think “What if he’s not?”, which made me think Mark Jones might be smarter and/or happier than a lot of us.
Pearl saying what Mark Cuban may be having nightmares thinking about:
In the second quarter, Jalen Brunson missed a tightly-contested shot, then clapped his hands and yelled “What the ****?!” at the ref. No tech, natch. God do I miss caring enough about game-to-game results to complain about officiating. I do not miss dying with bad playoff refereeing, but all these signs of life are syncing up with the trees and flowers and bushes outside. It’s a spring thing.
Norvel Pelle is new around here but fitting in nicely.
In the last 30 seconds the Knicks turned over a cross-court pass late and my fiancee and I were both immediately like “Clyde! Where’s Clyde?” I cannot remember the last game where Walt Frazier didn’t mention that cross-court passes should never happen.
Quoth most of us at some point in our lives: “Gimme five.” What a pentagon of pleasure this winning streak has been. Six isn’t out of the question: next game is Sunday afternoon when the Knicks host the New Orleans Pelicans. What a wonderful season this has been. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
