Knicks 110, Blazers 99: Is there a method to the madness?
The New York Knicks staved off some late game heroics from Damian Lillard to capture their second straight win, 110-99, over the Portland Trail Blazers.
There are good wins, and there are bad losses.
And there are bad wins, and good losses.
The Knicks’ win over an injury-ridden Portland Trail Blazers team on Sunday afternoon falls somewhere in between all of those classifications.
Where, exactly? I’m not entirely sure.
Soon-to-be All-Star Julius Randle opened things up with his signature turnaround jumper, only this one was with a grace that challenges even the best in ballet.
That bucket, along with an impressive defensive effort out of the gate, helped the Knicks to a 6-0 lead to start this one off. All three buckets came by way of New York’s three best players, a good sign as any that Sunday’s game was going to prove worthwhile.
Portland, which leads the league in 3-point attempts, punched right back with two shots from deep, courtesy of Damian Lillard and Robert Covington. That would prove a continuing trend, especially for those two household names.
But it was near this moment in the first quarter, with all parties tied at 10 points apiece, that RJ Barrett provided us with a highlight that had me jumping with joy.
The 20-year-old pointed his All-Star teammate and senior of six years Randle to Reggie Bullock, who was open in the corner, resulting in three points.
That kind of anticipation and ability to help playmake without the ball bodes well for Barrett and his future in the NBA, and in the short term as well.
It was also a welcome sign of trust from Randle, the team’s leader. On an abundance of occasions last season, Julius would have simply waved off such instruction, no matter the teammate, and bullied his way into the paint with reckless abandon.
But those are the days of old, friends.
Nowadays, it’s actual basketball that’s being carried out on the hardwood.
The rest of the first quarter proceeded without too much excitement by way of individual performance. Notably, but not surprisingly, it was Taj Gibson who earned the immediate minutes behind Mitchell Robinson, with Nerlens Noel absent on Sunday with an injury.
Oh, RJ did have this smooth make from 3-point land, which — well, it was just lovely.
Again, there’s little shock factor there, given Gibson’s history with Thibs, but fans weren’t exactly thrilled (and still aren’t) at the head coach’s usage of Obi Toppin.
Lillard finished the first quarter with 13 points and four assists, fueling the Trail Blazers to a 31-26 lead over the Knicks. But it wasn’t meant to last.
Immanuel Quickley and Toppin were let loose by Thibodeau to start the second quarter, and a sigh of relief was felt through the entirety of the New York Knicks fandom. The two rookies hold high promise (albeit one more than the other), and most feel as if it is possible to prioritize their development without having to sacrifice winning games.
In another moment that Knicks fans will likely never let die, Quickley collected an and-1 bucket over former New York franchise face Carmelo Anthony.
He followed that up with this incredible display of finishing poise.
Portland had done their homework, to their credit. The Blazers were sending double teams towards the rookie guard as soon as he had made his first basket. Unfortunately for them, his talent transcends the situation — well, thus far, anyway.
Not much further along in the second quarter, it was the Knicks’ second neophyte who made the most of Anthony’s defense, which has never been Melo’s trademark quality.
Toppin hit a driving layup over the 18-year veteran, and even as his only field goal made in the entire game, provided some much-needed faith about his abilities to a hopeful fanbase.
All the while, point guard Damian Lillard was resting because of an apparent re-aggravation of the same injury that held him out of Portland’s game on Friday.
He would check back in for the final five minutes of the half, but the Blazers still fell into a 57-51 deficit at the break. The Knicks had Elfrid Payton to thank for the lead, because of his second successful 3-point attempt in eight games.
New York came out firing in the third quarter, with RJ Barrett starting things off.
And then the Knicks got what is coming to be an expected event, in the form of a 3-point barrage from Julius Randle. He’s been in a groove lately, having knocked down three straight from deep in the first quarter of their last win in Chicago.
Randle’s now up to 40% shooting from behind the arc this season, which seems as good a time as any to remind you to vote him in for the NBA’s All-Star game.
New York was able to maintain a 84-76 lead over Portland going into the fourth quarter, and from there, the game’s outcome was all but decided.
Quickley hit a couple 3-pointers early on in the fourth, and had a steal that led to a transition bucket for Reggie Bullock before he was ultimately benched.
For the Trail Blazers, Anfernee Simons (or as I so appropriately like to call him, “West Coast Allonzo Trier”) racked up nine quick points, cutting the Knicks’ lead to five points.
But a running dunk from Payton capped a run and gave New York a 14-point lead, and despite Lillard’s best efforts, Portland never recovered. The Knicks put down the Trail Blazers 110-99, and captured their second straight win.
Notes
If we’re going to admire Immanuel Quickley’s shot-making ability and complain about his playing time, we’ve got to give Elfrid Payton his flowers when he has a good game. The veteran guard finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block in Saturday’s afternoon victory. He was strong on the defensive end, and helped New York maintain their lead down the stretch.
RJ Barrett had another strong performance, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds, and a number of encouraging highlights. He’s now averaging 19.2 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent from three over his last 12 games. For anyone who’s still questioning the legitimacy of his shooting — probably safe to say that this is what Barrett’s capable of.
New York defended the perimeter well between the second and fourth quarters — Portland finished having made just 17 of their 47 attempts from deep. Given that the Trail Blazers are making the second-most shots from behind the arc in the entire NBA (16 per game), we’ll take that as a win for the “Tom Thibodeau’s defensive expertise” crowd.
After Saturday’s win, the Knicks’ 11-13 record is tied as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. When’s the last time we were talking about this team’s status among the top eight teams in the East?
This is the fifth game that the Knicks have held their opponent to less than 100 points scoring in 24 tries. And it wasn’t by chance, either. The Blazers were chucking up multiple shots in the final seconds, trying to cross that threshold as if their jobs depended on it. New York held their opponents under 100 on 11 occasions throughout all of last season’s 66 games. Something to keep an eye on.
Twenty-four hours from now, we’ll know even more about this team. They’re facing an inconsistent Miami Heat team that was in the NBA Finals as recently as last season. Can they capitalize on the South Beach squad’s struggles?
What began as a promising start for both youth and veterans alike, quickly shifted into a Thibs road trip with the starting five, allocating no breaks for gas or snacks.
Is there a method to the madness?
An 11-13 record would suggest so, especially given that it wasn’t until the 40th game of last season that New York was able to boast that mark in the win column.
What we do know is:
Elfrid Payton is Tom Thibodeau’s most trusted backcourt defender.
Immanuel Quickley, whether he plays 13 minutes or 25 minutes, is going to make an impact on the game. An admirable trait for the neophyte.
For now, knowing exactly what we have with the Knicks is going to have to serve as comfort enough. Well, that and the team’s ability to actually win games.
