Derrick Rose took advantage of the first start of his season in first place.
Rose began the Knicks ’140-point burst by snatching the basket and turning a left runner out of the glass. The Knicks never stopped scoring in the first game Elfrid Payton has lost this season.
Will it be the passage of the on-call torch or just a one-night stay? Rose scored 18 points, getting her first six shots in the Knicks ’140-121 victory over the terrible Kings on Thursday in the festive garden.
Remember when Rose came up? Tom Thibodeau’s first observations were that Rose would “initially” come off the bench.
Payton sat down with a sore hamstring muscle and Rose, acquired this month, was anointed as a starter – his first Knicks start since the 2016-17 season, when he was first with the team.
Although Rose, 32, has started 618 games in his career, before the negotiation he had a 25-minute restriction with Detroit.
“It’s not hard,” Rose said before the game. “It’s basketball. It’s still basketball, brother. Give the ball to the boys where they want the ball. Thibs will put us in a great place to be prepared in certain situations and my job is just to push the ball, so I only put pressure whenever I can and I just play my game. I don’t think I need to rethink that. I have been a starter most of my career. So it shouldn’t be too hard. “
Knicks ex-coach David Fizdale will always wonder what he might have looked like last season if Payton hadn’t struggled with hamstrings in the fifth game of the season. When Payton returned after an 18-game absence, Fizdale was 4-18 and was fired after Payton’s first rusty game.
It has been very different for Payton in his second season as Knick. He has been an iron man, playing in the first 32 games before Thursday.
Payton made a decision in stoppage time, but canceled it out after making a handful of free throws an hour before the descent. He averages 12.4 points, 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds on a 44.1 percent shot.
Payton’s hamstring injury played in Tuesday’s game against Golden State. He has been enduring and effective withstanding screams for rookie Immanuel Quickley to start ahead of him before Rose arrives.
“As for Elfrid’s value to the team, we’ve seen it,” Thibodeau said. “His strengths are different from those of other boys: his size, ability to protect the ball and ability to get into the paint, are invaluable to use. He has had a very good season. “