The Knicks held a 10-pt lead throughout most of the 2nd half, and a 13-pt lead with 3 minutes left, before withstanding a last minute Chicago surge that got them to within a point — but RJ Barrett played excellent defense on DeMar DeRozan on the final play of the game, causing him to shoot an air-ball as NY held on to win.
Lockdown from @RjBarrett6 for the winđź”’ pic.twitter.com/FkoynGt4ec
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) October 29, 2021
Julius Randle, who had been a rock in the 4th quarter — pulling down every big rebound — missed two free throws with 9 seconds left that would have put NY up by 3 — so the Knick defense bailed him out. Randle also missed an offensive-rebound tip-in with 48 seconds left and the Knicks nursing a 6-pt lead — wherein some thought he should have just kept the rebound and took time off the clock. But all of that distracted from a great Knick win — and Randle’s heroics throughout the majority of the 4th quarter.
“Julius had a great game without shooting well,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “Rebounding off the charts; playmaking phenomenal.”
1. Barrett Led the Knicks
RJ Barrett stepped up and led the Knicks to this victory. Barrett started as usual had a big 3rd quarter, helping the Knicks to establish a double-digit lead. He finished with 20 pts on 8-15 shooting (1-3 from 3; 3-3 from the free throw line), 3 rebounds, 1 assist and Tremendous Defense all night and at the close against DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
AND-OOONE pic.twitter.com/BbIngQKWPW
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2021
LaVine started out red hot and had 22 points at the half, but only finished with 25 points on 7-17 shooting. DeRozan had 20 points on 7-18 shooting.
2. Robinson Instant Impact in 4th
Mitchell Robinson was monster for the Knicks all night, but went out of the game with an apparent sprained ankle or scary foot injury 2 minutes into the 4th quarter. He limped off the court and went to the lockerroom. Robinson returned with 6:59 left with new sneakers on — his sneaker had ripped apart. He had instant impact on the game, blocking Zach LaVine’s driving layup 10 seconds later. His dunk off a Julius Randle pass with 5:28 left gave NY a 96-84 lead.
Robinson put back an offensive rebound for a bucket with 4:15 left to give NY a 100-88 lead.
.@23savage____ instant impact đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/xuvKWQxifq
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) October 29, 2021
Robinson grabbed another big offensive rebound with 1:25 left and NY nursing a 9-pt lead. On the night, Robinson had 9 points on 4-4 shooting, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 29 minutes but he played louder than that.
”Mitch is still getting his conditioning but he has such an impact on the game; he’s impossible to score over,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards.
3. Walker Important Again
The Knicks took a 7-pt in the 2nd quarter, led by Derrick Rose, but Chicago came back to within a few points at the half. NY took command again in the 3rd quarter, getting to a double-digit lead. Kemba Walker was key in that run — hitting back-to-back 3’s and then getting fouled on a 3 next time down — and making 2 of 3 free throws to give NY a 65-56 lead with 9 minutes left in the 3rd.
Stay hot, @KembaWalker.
18 PTS / 5-6 3P / 18 MIN pic.twitter.com/lXt7E9SmK2
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2021
Kemba finished with 21 points on 7-12 shooting (5-6 from 3).
4. Knick DEFENSE Leads the Way
Most important of all was the Knicks DEFENSE, which led the way all night. RJ Barrett played lock-down defense on whoever he guarded, and NY as a team was frenetic defensively and giving up nothing easy.
Starts on defense pic.twitter.com/3aXcj1mARO
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2021
All courtesy Coach Tom Thibodeau in the city where he started as a head coach. “You just have to find a way to win,” said Thibodeau afterwards. “We had some plays (down the stretch) that probably weren’t the best, but we did a lot of good things, and to win here — the way this team has been playing — and just finding a way to win. It’s tough to win on the road.”
“I thought our defense in the second half was terrific,” added Thibodeau. “RJ Barrett Huge Huge — scoring — but his defense — over the top; his discipline on that last play. DeRozan is great at utilizing the shot fake.”
Etcetera
- It was also Joakim Noah night in Chicago. They honored him in the pre-game with a video on the big screen and named him team ambassador.
- It was a homecoming for Thibodeau, Derrick Rose, and Taj Gibson — Rose and Gibson were cheered vociferously when they entered the game late in the 1st quarter by the Chicago fans.
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