Mitchell who?
Nerlens Noel made a good approach to Knicks injured center Mitchell Robinson. Immanuel Quickley made Kentucky Wildcat teammate John Wall even more proud, hitting his first six shots and hitting big triples in the second half as the Rockets rallied.
Quickley finished with 22 spectacular points, eliminating seven from nine shots, four from six of 3. Julius Randle was Julius Randle.
Derrick Rose, who played before his former Knicks coach / current Rockets assistant Jeff Hornacek, was quick for a third straight game, adding 16 more points.
The Knicks played the most flawless first half of the season in the first game without Robinson and ended in a wonderful 121-99 loss to the Rockets at a Garden, which will have fans enjoying it in ten days.
The win culminated in a fantastic Valentine’s weekend with consecutive bursts from Washington and Houston that brought the Knicks closer to .500 between 13 and 15, seventh in the conference. New York basketball is starting to fall in love with the skinny Knicks, especially Quickley.
He spoiled Wall’s first game in the garden since December 3, 2018, when he was with the Wizards. Yes, so much time has passed.
The newest member of the Rockets is thrilled to be back and is delighted that another Kentucky punter is doing well. Wall dazzled with 26 points in the loss.
“He’s someone I respect,” Wall said of Quickley before the game. “I am just happy to have the opportunity. I’m glad he shows people he’s more than a shooter. That’s a lot of what people thought. His way of leading the police position has been good. It will be good to go against him. “
Wall, who starred in Kentucky in 2009-10, still keeps the news of John Calipari’s show tight. And the longtime wizard has had a chance to get to know the Knicks rookie point, who comes from Baltimore and played two seasons in Kentucky.
Even after Saturday’s loss, Wall made sure to give Quickley more encouragement.
“He told me he was having a good season, he told me to keep working,” Quickley said. “It simply came to our notice then. It’s a long season but it keeps getting better every day. “
Wall visited Kentucky last season during a rehab, capturing the Wildcats game against Florida. Quickley scored 26 points in the race with Wall watching and they made a video together. This time, he reached 22 points.
“It was great,” Quickley said after his big outing in the second half. “It simply came to our notice then. It was part of my development. “He gave me encouraging words. It’s good to see him on the ground.”
In fact, Quickley admitted to the Lexington Herald-Leader that he was interested in the Wildcats because of Wall.
“Obviously, everyone knows John Wall,” Quickley said in 2016. “He can go up and down the field in three, four regattas. And he gets everyone involved. This is just one of the many John Calipari guards I’ve seen.”
Wall is proud of Quickley.
“I’ve seen him play in Baltimore before,” Wall said before facing the Knicks. “I talked to him before he left for Kentucky. We made a little video together when I saw them play last year. “
Quickley has left the Knicks bench for the first 28 games and his career has received another shake-up with the arrival of Rose. Social media worried about Rose would negatively affect Quickley’s minutes. On the contrary.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has turned Rose and Quickley into a tandem on the back track of the bench, and it has been a huge success.
“I am learning a lot [from him]”I don’t want to give it away because I’m going to carry a lot of things throughout my career. So it’s really just his energy. He’s a dog, an alpha dog, he’s a leader. It’s great to have someone like that in the my corner “.
The first two quarters of Saturday were a masterpiece as the Knicks won a 63-47 lead. They scored whenever they wanted. They didn’t compromise their first turnover until they were 57 seconds left in the half, when Randle tried to find Noel and sent him off limits.
Randle was sure to be looking for his new starting center, Noel, now that Robinson could be six weeks away with a broken hand.
Robinson looked from the second row of the bench with a white shirt and a white mold in his right hand, probably facing surgery.
Wall, did not play last season and was interrupted in the 2018-19 season due to a heel injury against a torn Achilles. Quickley had a good mentor to Wall, and now the flashlight has passed to Rose.
“It’s his ability to bring out the best in everyone around him,” Thibodeau said of Rose.
“They’re a team that plays a lot,” Wall said as he entered the game. “You know how Thibs plays [his teams]. Julius [Randle] it plays well, and D-Rose just got there and we all know what it’s all about. They are a good team on the rise. “
The Knicks proved it on Saturday.