Despite the absences of OG Anunoby and Julius Randle, the Knicks continue to string together victories. Against Jazz, they achieved an 8th consecutive success to climb into the Top 3 of the East!
And it was the “Villanova Connection” which carried New York with 29 points at 10/23 shooting, plus 9 assists from Jalen Brunsona triple-double (10 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds) of Josh Hart and above all a very large number of Donte DiVincenzo (33 points at 9/15 from distance, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 interceptions).
“First of all, we have a very dense team. And then this is the model that Thibs gave us”explains Donte DiVincenzo at the New York Post. “Players can raise their level and play their role without trying to do too much. We have an identity here, everyone buys into it and there is joy within our team at the moment. Everyone encourages each other, but everyone holds each other accountable. »
The Knicks have just completed the month of January with 14 victories for only 2 defeats. You have to go back to March 1994 (14-0) to find so many victories in one calendar month in New York. At the time, the “Big Apple” players were coached by Pat Riley, and they finally made it to the Finals…
In any case, this group sticks to its coach, with a troop of soldiers closing ranks to compensate for absences. A team with a tight rotation, since the Knicks played eight against the Jazz. Like against Charlotte.
“We don’t replace guys individually, especially a guy like Julius”explains the coach. “You have to defend, get rebounds and take care of the ball. These three things put you in a position to win. »
