Julius Randle sent off and Jalen Brunson injured, the Knicks finished the game against the Kings with a five exclusively made up of players 24 and under.
Among them, two “sophomores”, Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride, and despite this inexperience, the New Yorkers repelled the onslaught of the Kings to win 112-99. For the third time in four games, New York maintains an opponent under 100 points, and it is even the 4th victory in a row.
“The defense is getting in place,” notes RJ Barrett, shifted to position 4 after the expulsion of Julius Randle. “We give it our all and we make the effort… We get the rebounds (55 takes to 41)… It’s not a sector in particular, but a lot of different things that come together. »
Opposing shooters are targeted
Even if RJ Barrett ensures that there is not a particular sector, it must be recognized that the high defense of the Knicks poses problems for his opponents.
The tenure of Quentin Grimes changed the situation, and in the last four games, New York’s opponents have shot 22% from 3-pointers. Over a week, with four different opponents, it’s a real trend.
This awkwardness from afar makes it possible to have rebounds, often long, and to launch the game quickly. This is where the youngsters bring a lot, but also Julius Randle, much more comfortable when he can make his combination of power and speed speak.
“I have the feeling that we combine well in attack and defense” testifies Quentin Grimes, who reports that the atmosphere is good. “There’s a lot of energy and laughter in the locker room. »
The confidence of Tom Thibodeau
The bet of a short rotation works (for now) for Tom Thibodeau, and even when the Brunson-Randle duo are on the sidelines, the dynamic remains the same. “The energy, the communication… It’s like everyone is on the same wavelength” continues Mitchell Robinson, which became the anchor in the middle of the painting. His duet with Isaiah Hartenstein brings stability over 48 minutes even if they are completely different, and their profiles allow Tom Thibodeau to adapt.
“The Knicks have to be congratulated” recognizes Mike Brownthe Kings coach. “They kicked our ass. We had no answer to Julius, and he did what he wanted with us. We didn’t do anything well. Brunson had a good game. RJ too. Mitchell Robinson was monstrous on the rebound…”
“Tonight more guys upped their game, and they played important minutes. Good to see” appreciates RJ Barrett, while Quentin Grimes puts it down to the trust granted by his coach. “It proves that Thibs has confidence in us, the fact of putting all the young people to finish the meeting. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Julius Randle | 26 | 33.3 | 46.2 | 34.1 | 79.1 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 22.1 |
| Jalen Brunson | 26 | 31.9 | 46.3 | 33.0 | 88.0 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 20.2 |
| Rj Barrett | 26 | 33.6 | 40.7 | 28.6 | 78.0 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 18.5 |
| Immanuel Quickley | 26 | 23.1 | 40.6 | 32.0 | 84.7 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 10.0 |
| Cam Reddish | 20 | 21.9 | 44.9 | 30.4 | 87.9 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 8.4 |
| Obi Toppin | 25 | 17.1 | 42.1 | 35.1 | 82.4 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 7.7 |
| Quentin Grimes | 16 | 22.2 | 48.4 | 32.7 | 88.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 7.1 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 18 | 23.9 | 71.3 | 0.0 | 41.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 8.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 7.1 |
| Evan Fournier | 13 | 20.0 | 34.4 | 33.3 | 81.8 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 6.9 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | 26 | 20.7 | 55.0 | 25.0 | 84.0 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 6.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 6.5 |
| Derrick Rose | 21 | 13.6 | 40.0 | 34.7 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 6.4 |
| jericho sims | 18 | 13.0 | 76.1 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 4.3 |
| Miles Mcbride | 14 | 9.5 | 33.3 | 19.0 | 50.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
| Svi Mykhailiuk | 9 | 3.2 | 55.6 | 71.4 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Ryan Arcidiacono | 6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Trevor Keels | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
