THE Knicks are officially in the hard end: after having burned a cartridge against the Hornets then yielded in the “money-time” against the Kings at the end of an intense battle, the residents of Madison Square Garden, far from their lands in Los Angeleshave indeed conceded a third loss in a row against the Clippersafter a streak of nine consecutive successes before.
More than the result and the bad patch in itself, it’s the way that can start to worry new York : for the third match in a row, the attack of Tom Thibodeau’s men was indeed sorely lacking in inspiration, and we can even reasonably speak of a breakdown after this meeting, completed at… 36% on shots!
With 26 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, Immanuel Quickley did not deserve, just like the valiant Josh Hart And Obi Toppin off the bench (10 points and 13 rebounds combined), but the New Yorkers simply did not have enough weapons. Especially with a Julius Randle very, very, very bad days (5/24 shooting!)…
Difficult, if not impossible, to win under these conditions, especially against a Californian troop which came close to 50% success in shooting, under the impetus of a Kawhi Leonard gala (38 points at 14/22), and a Paul George perfect in the role of his lieutenant (22 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists).
This is the third straight win for the Clippers, which comforts a small comfortable mattress over the Mavericks, Warriors and Wolves in the Western Conference standings.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– THE show Kawhi Leonard in the third quarter. A “takeover” in good and due form, against an absolutely powerless New York defense. This is how to sum up the third act of the Clippers robot, during which he scored 19 of his team’s 29 points, 6/8 on shots. A way to keep his training afloat, led at half-time by a Knicks team which nevertheless pointed to 39% shooting success during the first period (47-49), and not very inspired in attack when the leather left his hands. In the last quarter, he did not have to work particularly hard and only scored 5 points, while the Clippers quietly distanced their opponents to score. In the end, he completed this meeting with 38 points at 14/22 on shots, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
– Julius Randle is exhausted. This match, perhaps the worst of his entire career, will leave traces on the morale of Julius Randle. Appearing physically tired, the Knicks strong winger did not have confidence in his legs to attack the circle and then locked himself in a vicious circle: shots in isolation… Most defended by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and unsurprisingly the formula did not work: 5/24 on shots! In addition, the All-Star of the “Big Apple” broke down mentally, repeatedly displaying his deep annoyance with the refereeing corps, while his clumsiness worsened over the game. He notably cost his team three free throws in the last second of the third quarter, while the latter led 74-73, when he committed a foul on Mason Plumlee on a battle for a rebound, before striking a dispensable elbow in the throat of the center of Los Angeles. Holder of the third longest playing time in the league with almost 2,500 minutes played at this stage of the season, Julius Randle is therefore starting to seriously slow down physically, and his performance is logically negatively impacted. Tom Thibodeau’s rotation thus displays its limits…
– Destitute in attack, the Knicks must better negotiate their second chances. Less talented on paper, the Knicks gave themselves no chance to play above their level as they finished the game with a horrible 36% shooting success, including 23% shooting behind the arc (7 /31)… Without Jalen Brunson, still hampered by his left foot, and with a Julius Randle who was hitting rock bottom on a personal level, the step was way too high, so the loss makes sense. On the other hand, the New Yorkers can regret their lack of realism on their second chances: while they easily won the battle for the offensive rebound (20 takes to 7), they only scored 14 points on the second chances! A finding that also stood after the game against Sacramento, and which coincides quite logically with the breakdown of attack that the club has been going through since their last three games, all lost.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Paul George. In relay of a gala Kawhi Leonard, the elegant “PG” did the job: 22 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the main “playmaker” of the LA troupe When he displays such a volume of play to support hearty evenings at scoring by Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers are very difficult to stop…
✅ Immanuel Quickley. Holder without Jalen Brunson, “IQ”, probable favorite for the trophy of the sixth man of the league, was one of the rare rays of sunshine in the generally seized game of the Knicks with his 26 points (8/18), 10 rebounds and 4 passes. While the Knicks will certainly be careful with “JB” for the playoffs, the former Kentucky should continue to start for a few more games.
✅ Mitchell Robinson. When an attack tops out at 36% on shots, there is bound to be waste to recover under the hoops, the Knicks pivot has done a hell of a job in this area with his 14 rebounds, including 8 offensive. Unfortunately, as we said above, his team was sorely unrealistic about his second chances, and the enormous activity of “Mitch” in painting was then very often in vain.
⛔️ The Knicks offense. We have already said everything above, but it is impossible not to mention this subject a second time in the disappointments of this meeting as the damage was considerable. Without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks no longer have the same face in attack, especially since Julius Randle is in a bad patch. “Thibs” and his men will have to stick together to limit the damage during this difficult period for their offense, during this last month of the regular season.
THE FOLLOWING
– Clippers (36-33): reception of the Warriors, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (03:00).
– Knicks (39-30): “back-to-back” in Los Angeles, this time against the Lakers (02:00).
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