The New York Knicks send the Detroit Pistons out with ease as they enter the All Star break on a massive hot series.
The New York Knicks enter the All Star breakaway with a winning record for the first time since 2013. This happens to be the last time the franchise wins the playoffs.
The Pistons had no answers for Julius Randle or RJ Barrett. The pair combined for 48 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. When Barrett shows up, the Knicks offensively have a dynamic one-two-stroke.
The Knicks have won four of their last five and eight of their last 11. Here are three highlights and three observations of New York’s 114-104 victory over Detroit Thursday night.
Highlight 1: RJ Barrett Dishing
RJ Barrett equalized a season high with five assists against the Pistons. He’s a scorer first, but he also knows how to find his teammates pic.twitter.com/POfMIP66f8
– Danny Small (@ dwsmall8) 5 March 2021
Highlight 2: Frank Ntilikina Swishing
Frank Ntilikina caught fire in the first half. He is 13-21 (61.9%) deep this season … pic.twitter.com/2cw9KzEy5o
– Danny Small (@ dwsmall8) 5 March 2021
Highlight 3: Julius Randle Block
It’s perhaps one of the Knicks’ best plays of the entire season. Julius Randle with a barrier from the weak side after the Pistons had a 4-on-3 break, prevented them from reducing a 20-point deficit to 8, and then a sell-off for RJ Barrett for the dunk. pic.twitter.com/nE9kkoWKMG
– Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) 5 March 2021
Observation 1: Professional winning
It was the playoff game. The Knicks asserted themselves early on and repelled every Pistons push from then on. The Knicks have not won the game in recent years with so much ease and maturity.
Add to that the fact that the Knicks were blown out by the San Antonio Spurs two nights ago and that this win is starting to look more and more impressive.
The Knicks play playoffs during the All Star break. Knicks fans finally have meaningful games to watch in March, April and May.
Observation 2: RJ Barrett Percolating
RJ Barrett is experiencing all the ups and downs of a typical 20-year-old in the NBA, but at the moment he is the best. Over his last four games, Barrett scored an average of 20.3 points on 57/57/72.
He does not make a large amount of three-point attempts, but he does do what he takes. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau spoke to reporters about the work Barrett has done in his shooting and the way it helps open up the game to himself and others.
“His preparation gives him a lot of confidence,” Thibodeau explained to reporters on the Zoom call to the game. ‘[Shooting] is something we want him to keep doing, and he has always had the downhill ability, putting a lot of pressure on the edge. He’s reading well, but I think the way the ball was shot now has opened up a lot of things for us. ”
Observation 3: Frank Ntilikina pressure
The Knicks’ busy backfield gets a little more pressure. Frank Ntilikina makes a strong case to keep his place in the rotation when the team returns from the All-Star half-time. The Frenchman took full advantage of his chance after Elfrid Payton missed a while due to injury and Derrick Rose was suspended due to health and safety protocols.
Ntilikina is up 13-for-21 from outside the arc after nailing all three of his attempts on Thursday. The fourth-year guard has scored 22 points on 11 shots in his last two games.
If Ntilikina can continue to space the floor with the three, he does more than enough in defense to ensure a constant place in the rotation.
