Friday was a disappointment against the reconstruction of the Thunder in the garden. Sunday was just an old-fashioned home defeat against the Nuggets, who were vying for the title.
The Knicks ’great start loses its brilliance as Tom Thibodeau’s team was battered, 114-89. After winning five of six games, the Knicks have lost two in a row to fall back to .500 at 5-5. They have scored 89 points in each of the last two outings.
“We didn’t play well overall,” Thibodeau said. “Some nights you will shoot her better than others. When you don’t defend and don’t shoot well, there’s virtually no chance of winning. Therefore, we must count on our intensity, our defense. There’s nothing we’re doing right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change it. “
Only Julius Randle showed up: a single game in defeat when he scored 29 points, scoring 11 of 16 shots. Otherwise, the Knicks ’offense was in ruins, firing 40 percent in the first half when the game was decided.
“We need to regain our confidence and brag,” Randle said. “We need to improve our struggle and energy to give ourselves a chance to win.”
Denver superstar great man Nikola Jokic didn’t sweat, scoring 22 points in 9 of 15 with 10 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.
Knicks center-back Mitchell Robinson, who rarely gives credit to opponents, felt he was doing as well as he could against the great Serb who came in with a triple-double average. Robinson scored 11 points on a 5 out of 5 shot. In 34 minutes, he committed no foul.
“I think I did really well,” Robinson said. “He fired hard shots. It wasn’t like a walk in the park. He fired hard shots. It happens. I think I did very well. I didn’t get fouled. “
Asked how difficult it is to protect Jokic, Mitchell said, “It’s not at all difficult.”
Before the game, Thibodeau reflected that the Knicks did not “come with a big advantage” against Oklahoma City and the club “lowered their guard.”
The Knicks coach was still not happy with the rush, but the talent gap was also noticed as the Nuggets, who have a misleading 5-5 record, punched 15 of 35 triples. The Knicks were also unable to throw free throws, going 19 of 25.
It was a second performance followed by RJ Barrett, who was down 4 of 13 by nine points and three business losses.
“As long as it’s the right shots and you shoot it right, that’s all you’re looking at,” Thibodeau said. “Before you see the result, you are looking at the mechanics and if it is firing correctly, it is a good follow-up. Is that your shot? “
The Knicks will play Charlotte on Monday and face rookie studio LaMelo Ball, who are coming off their first triple-double career.
As Thibodeau pointed out, the Knicks went overboard. At the start of the third quarter, Gary Harris outscored the Knicks by an offensive rebound, catching him in the middle of three Knicks.
Early in the first quarter, Harris left the left wing free and jumped through a right tomahawk jam. The Nuggets bench exploded so loudly that the shout of Chase Bridge could be heard, where there are select media near the roof of the garden.
With 2:07 left in half, during a timeout, a Knicks PR staff member crossed the track to hand out the box scores to the bronze team that was sitting 10 feet behind the sideline where there was the row of celebrities.
President Leon Rose, Senior Vice President William Wesley, GM Scott Perry and Assistant General GM Allan Houston looked at the depressing sheet of paper the Knicks had behind them 52-34 and the team shooting 38.9 percent.
Remove Randle’s 7 of 10 shot, the rest of his Knicks were only 7 of 26 at the time.
“Some nights there will be tough nights, but you can still win when you don’t shoot well,” Thibodeau said. “Being mentally tough when going through adversity is one of the most important things there has ever been. Not just in basketball, in life. Sometimes things go well, sometimes not. When they are not, you have to have the toughness and the ability to overcome these things. “
For the second game in a row, rookie goalkeeper Immanuel Quickley has not provided any spark as the teams have adjusted to their electric play. In a sequence, Jokic was sent to double team and the rookie tried to run away, pushing himself for an offensive foul.
After a timeout, Thibodeau made a point of talking to Quickley before getting into the confusion. Quickley was 0 for 4 in 13 minutes, finishing with four points.
For an extended period of garbage, Thibodeau played Dennis Smith Jr., back from injury, over Quickley in the final minutes.