Friday was a disappointment against the rebuilding of Thunder at the Garden. Sunday was an old-fashioned result at home against the title competition Nuggets.
The Knicks’ big start lost its luster when Tom Thibodeau’s team was beaten, 114-89. After winning five of six games, the Knicks lost two straight to fall back at 5-5 to 0.500. They have scored 89 points in each of the last two heats.
“We did not play well in general,” Thibodeau said. ‘Some nights you’ll shoot it better than others. If you do not defend and do not shoot well, there is virtually no chance of winning. We must therefore count on our intensity, our defense. There’s nothing we’re doing well right now, but that does not mean we can not change it. ”
Only Julius Randle showed up – a one-man show in defeat when he penetrated 29 points and hit 11 of 16 shots. Otherwise, the Knicks’ attack was in the mix, as they shot 40 percent in the first half when the game was decided.
“We need to get our confidence up and down,” Randle said. “We have to fight our battle to give us a chance to win.”
Denver superstar Nikola Jokic did not sweat, scoring 22 points on 9 of 15 with 10 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who rarely lends credit to opponents, felt he did as well as he could against the revered Serb who scored a triple-double. Robinson scored 11 points on 5 of 5 shots. In 34 minutes he did not commit an offense.
“I feel like I did well,” Robinson said. “He made some hard blows. It was not like a walk through the park. He made difficult blows. It happens. I feel like I did well. I got no errors. ”
Asked how difficult it is to protect Jokic, Mitchell said, “Not at all.”
Prior to the game, Thibodeau reflected that the Knicks did not come up with a “good lead” against Oklahoma City and that the club “left us waiting.”
The Knicks coach was still not happy with the hustle and bustle, but the talent gap was also noticeable as the Nuggets, who had a fraudulent record of 5-5, scored 15 of the 35 three-pointers. The Knicks also could not shoot free throws, with 19 to 25.
It was a second consecutive performance by RJ Barrett, who was 4 of 13 for nine points and three turnovers.
“As long as it’s the right shot and he shoots it well. That’s all you’re looking at, ” Thibodeau said. ‘Before you look at the result, look at mechanics and whether he shoots it properly where it’s a good follow-up. Is that his shot? ‘
The Knicks play Monday in Charlotte and will face rookie point guard stud LaMelo Ball, who is coming off his first triple career.
As Thibodeau noted, the Knicks became exhausted. Early in the third quarter, Gary Harris rallied the Knicks for an offensive setback and grabbed it between three Knicks.
Early in the first quarter, Harris broke loose the left wing and jumped for a right-handed tomahawk jam. The Nuggets bank erupted so loudly that one could hear their fever from the Chase Bridge, where select media is located near the garden ceiling.
With 2:07 left in the half, during a timeout, a Knicks PR staff member walked across the court to hand out boxes to brass sitting 10 feet behind the sideline, where the celebrity row used to be.
President Leon Rose, senior vice president William Wesley, GM Scott Perry and GM Allan Houston looked at the depressing sheet of paper that left the Knicks 52-34 and the team 38.9 percent.
Take away the 7 or 10 shooting from Randle, the rest of his Knicks were only 7 of 26 at that point.
“Some nights there are going to be tough nights, but you can still win if you don’t shoot well,” Thibodeau said. ‘It’s one of the most important things there is ever to be mentally tough when you’re suffering. Not just in basketball, in life. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not. If this is not the case then maybe you need to be tough and able to get through things. ”
For the second consecutive game, newcomer point guard Immanuel Quickley gave no spark as teams adjusted their electric play. In a series, Jokic was sent to double him and the rookie tried to scramble away and made an offensive mistake.
After a timeout, Thibodeau made a point of talking to Quickley before getting into the mess. Quickley was 0 for 4 within 13 minutes and finished with four points.
During the extended junk time, Thibodeau Dennis Smith Jr., back from injury, played against Quickley in the final minutes.