A priori unbalanced opposition between Knicks and the Wizardsboth back-to-back at Madison Square Garden. This was verified on the floor, since the teammates of Jalen Brunson (26 points, 11 assists) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 12 rebounds) made short work of the players from the capital (134-106), on a series of nine defeats in a row.
The first half of the Knicks is a marvel of its kind in attack: the skill is there, the 3-pointers are raining everywhere, the ball is circulating well and turnovers are rare…
Despite Corey Kispert and Jonas Valanciunas in sequence, the Wizards are overwhelmed in all areas of the game, and particularly in defense in front of the striking power of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and others. Hence this gap which takes on very high proportions: up to +25 in favor of the locals (73-54).
After the break, New York did not come down from its cloud, on which they had somehow climbed thanks to a Washington defense that was catastrophic to say the least. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns take care of their statistics without forcing themselves before returning to the bench for the entire fourth quarter, the replacements do the job (Cam Payne, Pacôme Dadiet, Jericho Sims, etc.) and, in the end, it gives an indisputable victory and in great width (134-106). Enough to give confidence and playing time to an entire group, which collects “successes to pocket” before leaving for the West for a “road trip” of five matches.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– A one-sided match. What can I say other than: the Knicks rolled on the Wizards, who will never have been able to answer them? Except at 12-7 after five minutes, we never felt Alex Sarr's teammates capable of making Tom Thibodeau's men doubt who, under the impetus of their Brunson/Towns duo, did not stop pushing Washington for three quarters. Offensively, it's ultimately very simple: almost everything worked for New York (56% skill, 20 3-point baskets, 37 assists for 8 lost balls…), winner of a third game in a row and well rested.
– First match missed for Bilal Coulibaly. If Malcolm Brogdon is back since yesterday, let's highlight the absence of Bilal Coulibaly. He had received an elbow in the face against the Pistons the day before, which caused him headaches and therefore prevented him from holding his place in the Wizards' five the next day. His presence would not have been too much to oppose the New York attackers…
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
