Strong defense, superior rebounding, solid foul shooting, and ball movement and player movement, the core of the Knicks’ strategy for an eight-game win streak from Dec. 4 through Dec. 20, had trended in the opposite direction when they looked to break a three-game losing streak in Dallas versus the Mavericks on Tuesday night.
“Compilation of things, but it wasn’t any one particular play,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau after a 118-117 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. “I just felt like we never really got our defense established, and it was an offensive game. And then, they had some timely offensive rebounds. We missed some free throws. So, things can change real fast in this league.”
The normally clutch free-throw shooter, starting point guard Jalen Brunson, missed two with 6.4 seconds left with the Knicks up one. It allowed Bulls All-star forward DeMar DeRozan to score on a jump shot and get fouled by guard Quentin Grimes (who also missed two free throws with 1:06 left in the fourth) to steal the victory.
Brunson explained a formula for the Knicks to pull out close games. “One, make free throws…put the game away when we [have big] leads. Just play better on the defensive side of the ball. I thank the Lord we have [Knicks forward] RJ [Barrett]. He just played amazing tonight and we couldn’t close it for him.”
Barrett scored 44 points and was an outstanding 6-6 from the three-point line in trying to carry the Knicks to victory. “I just continue to work. I was making shots. I had it rolling tonight,” he said. “The team kept going to me but it’s not the same without the win.”
On Christmas Day (a noon start), the Knicks came out firing on all cylinders against the Philadelphia 76ers, who entered MSG having won seven in a row. At one point the Knicks had the Sixers down 30-16 en route to a 37-25 eventual first-quarter lead. However, by halftime they were up just 63-60.
In the second half, Sixers All Stars Joel Embiid and James Harden took over. Center Embiid ended with 35 points and point guard Harden had 29 points and 13 assists to elevate their team to a 119-112 victory.
“I mean, it’s that Joel is a monster, obviously,” remarked Knicks forward Julius Randle, who shared game-high honors with 35 points. “They have guys that know their roles and great shooting. They just come out there and play for each other.”
The Knicks played relatively well for the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, however, they couldn’t survive the onslaught of the two-headed monster of Embiid and Harden. The Knicks eventually lost the game, 119-112.
The Knicks are on a three-game Texas swing that includes facing the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Eve.
