Recaps
Knicks Come Back Against the Pacers, 87–81
A clutch Melo, strong Willy, and crumbling Pacers offense all contributed to a home win for New York
Forget the game. The biggest news from Tuesday night is Kristaps Porzingis’ thigh contusion he suffered in the third quarter. There’s no word yet on the severity, but Knicks fans can at least rest easy knowing that it isn’t one of those dreaded ligament injuries to his knees or feet.
Fans should also celebrate the Knicks 87–81 snow day win! They roared to a comeback in the third quarter after trailing most of the game, thanks to a flurry of threes from Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose’s steadying drives to the rim. Anthony finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Rose added 16 points and four assists.
A few thoughts from tonight’s game:
Porzingis forcing up shots
You would have thought KP was Kobe Bryant out there with the way he was chucking. The first two times he caught the ball, he immediately shot.
I’m all for getting Porzingis more opportunities in the offense, but he’s not a traditional 1-on-1 player, and the Knicks were overloading one side of the floor to isolate him in the high post. It doesn’t help that his matchup, Myles Turner, is one of the only bigs in the league with the size, quickness, and hops to smother Porzingis. KP put up seven shots in the first five minutes, and Turner stuffed the seventh shot of that stretch before sprinting past the Knicks for the dunk in semi-transition on the other end. Early in the second quarter, Porzingis tried to cross up Turner at the top of the key and Turner just swiped it away. Porzingis is a special player, but I think he’s best utilized as a “Kevin Love in Minnesota” type of weapon, where he’s able to operate out of the high post. In that setting, Porzingis could use his passing and height to feed off-ball cutters like Love used to do, or simply jab-step his way to those silky smooth midrange jumpers.
The Knicks could also run more pin-down screens for Porzingis to catch the ball at the extended elbow, to leverage his three-point shot in the motion of an offense. What they can’t do have four players stand still around him like he’s the Mamba.
‘Melo battling hard on defense
Anthony’s defense has been better than advertised from the moment he put on a Knicks jersey. And with Paul George coming into Tuesday’s game averaging 27 points over his last five contests, Anthony put the clamps on. He was the only Knick to close out hard on shooters, fight over screens, and straight-up locked down Paul George at the 4:05 mark of the second quarter.
George finished with 22 points, but on just 9-of-21 shooting and six turnovers. Massive credit goes to Anthony for pushing George out of his rhythm early. Ron Baker, basketball bulldog, also helped shut down George in the second half.
Side note: he was also ice cold on offense (until he erupted in the third quarter), which makes me appreciate how ridiculous guys like Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are. It’s incredibly rare to have the energy to carry a team on both ends, and it shouldn’t be an indictment on ‘Melo that he can’t do that. That level of two-way dominance simply requires both a special gas tank and an elite skill set. Carmelo had it four years ago. He’s not that guy anymore and I understand why so many Knicks fans aren’t okay with that. After all, the front office is paying ‘Melo like he’s that guy. But the dude still plays hard, and it’s unfortunate that some fans don’t see that.
Knicks show excellent ball-denial in fourth quarter
The Knicks lasered-in over the final frame after acting lackadaisically through the first half. The first few Pacers buckets of the game all came off of either:
- Late close-outs;
- Blown rotations;
- Or, not getting back in semi-transition.
Those are all effort plays, and it took Carmelo’s dogged defense and red-hot second half to wake the Knicks up. Which begs the question, where has this effort been all season?
Hernangómez doesn’t second guess himself
It’s rare to see a rookie big man with self-confidence in the paint, but Willy Hernangómez oozes it. He’s always making quick, assertive decisions when he catches the ball, and is always fighting for position. When he‘s doing stuff like this:
And like this…
…it’s easy to forget that he’s still a first-year guy on an atrocious team. He’s got that eternal “fuck-it” play-style (along with that “fuck-it” black eye) that Knicks fans can’t help but love.
‘Melo chants
With 20 seconds left, Anthony drew a foul to ice the game, and the MSG crowd rained down “Melo!” chants. Nice to hear after such a bleak season for New York, and especially for Anthony.
— Harrison Liao, site writer
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