Necessary lineup shifts have become taxing for the Knicks
With 9:33 displayed on the mighty Madison Square Garden video board in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ match up with the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, Coach Tom Thibodeau looked down the baseline at his bench and summoned All-Star point-guard Jalen Brunson to the scorer’s table. The Knicks, facing the team with the worst record in the NBA, needing their best player to reenter the game at a stage when he should have been resting for the closing minutes, reflected their dire injury circumstances and the major minutes being incurred by several starters.
Thibodeau was acutely aware that the 94-89 lead his squad held was tenuous playing with a lineup depleted by injuries to regular starters Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Brunson indeed provided crucial production, ending with 35 points, albeit on 11-26 shooting overall and 3-11 on 3-point attempts. And he logged a strenuous 40 minutes.
Along with guard/forward Josh Hart, who registered 42 exceptional minutes, posting 23 points and eight rebounds, the duo tugged the Knicks to a 113-111 win that was marred by a controversial final eight seconds when Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo committed a blatant foul on Pistons rookie forward Ausar Thompson during a scramble for a loose ball that ultimately led to a layup by Hart with 2.1 seconds remaining to give the Knicks a 112-111 advantage.
“Absolute worst call of the season,” Pistons Coach Williams angrily said at his postgame press conference. His frustration was warranted as victories have been elusive for the young Pistons, which are just 9-49. The average age of four of the Pistons starters who took on the Knicks is 21.
“No call. Enough’s enough. We’ve done it the right way. We’ve called the league. We’ve sent clips. We’re sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. We had a chance to win the game, and the guy dove into Ausar’s legs and there was no call. That’s an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game. Period,” Williams continued.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, a play-by-play report assessing all calls and non-calls in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and the last two minutes of overtime, affirmed that DiVincenzo should have been called for a foul.
The Knicks escaped with the win but playing without Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein the following night hosting the New Orleans Pelicans, didn’t have enough on the offensive end to overcome the absences of five of their top rotation pieces and lost 115-92. Brunson sat out due to neck spasms and Hartenstein with lingering left Achilles tendinopathy. Both are expected back in the lineup for tonight’s game at MSG versus the Golden State Warriors.
The rash of injuries the Knicks have sustained has compelled Thibodeau to extend the minutes of his available players, notably Bunson, Hart and forward Precious Achiuwa, the latter who has been a critically important contributor replacing Randle as the starting power forward.
“You do what you have to do to win. Whatever it takes to get it done” said Thibodeau on Monday following the win over the Pistons regarding the heavy minutes being assigned to key players. “Those guys have done a great job, it’s interesting because those are probably the guys (Brunson and Hart) that are putting a ton of work into it.
Last night both guys were in the gym shooting and will be there tomorrow. There’s a reason why they’re playing the way they’re playing. There’s a reason why they can handle those minutes. They prepare themselves to handle those minutes.”
But for how long will be determined as the 35-24 Knicks, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, have 23 regular season games remaining. In addition to the Warriors, the Knicks will be in Cleveland on Sunday to face the Cavaliers and back at the Garden on Tuesday to meet the Atlanta Hawks.
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