After a players-only dinner, led by Julius Randle, the Knicks answered and beat the Jazz, 118-111 in Utah on Tuesday.
In the team’s first of their five-game West Coast road trip, coach Tom Thibodeau started RJ Barrett, Randle, Cam Reddish, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Brunson against the Pistons.
Here are the takeaways….
- The Knicks got off to a hot start shooting with Brunson and Barrett using their mid-range game to give New York an early lead. Hartenstein picked up his second foul with more than eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, and Thibs had to bring in Jericho Sims early.
Sims provided some energy in the early going, saving balls, grabbing rebounds that led to fast-break opportunities. Reddish, while he struggled offensively his defense helped keep the score close even when the Knicks went more than three minutes without scoring. Both teams went back-and-forth but Utah ended the opening frame up 27-23.
The Knicks shot 38 percent and 3-for-10 from three. But it was their lack of defense that got them in trouble. They allowed the Jazz to shoot 48 percent and turned the ball over four times. Nine Knicks came in at some point in the first quarter as Thibodeau continues to look for the best rotation.
- Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Derrick Rose, Barrett and Sims started the second quarter for the Knicks. This group used turnovers and great defense to retake the lead at 33-32 with eight minutes to go in the second. Both teams would go on their runs and the score would remain close throughout.
It was clear that the Knicks’ defense had improved and had more energy, but they were careless on offense, which led to easy Jazz buckets. A wild, frantic finish in the final minute, capped off by a three-pointer from Brunson at the buzzer, helped the Knicks to a 61-58 lead at the half.
The Knicks allowed 47 percent shooting from Utah, but it was offset by New York shooting 58 percent in the second. And it was a balanced effort from the Knicks. Brunson led the Knicks with 13 points, but Randle (11) and Barrett (10) also went into the half with double-digit points. Hartenstein and Sims picked up their third fouls in the second quarter, so Thibodeau had to go small with Randle and Toppin on the floor in the final minutes.
- The starting five were on the floor to start the third quarter. After getting to the line just seven times in the first half, Barrett would get to the free-throw line early and often in the third, but went just 4-for-8.
Utah's Walker Kessler was a menace for the Knicks. He was getting easy dunks and coming down with offensive rebounds, taking advantage of his size against Sims. Despite the offensive struggles (shot just 35 percent), the Knicks went into the fourth quarter down 85-83 thanks to defense and Jazz turnovers.
- Rose, Sims, Quickley, Barrett and Toppin were on the floor to start the fourth. The Knicks went out to an 11-2 run to regain the lead, eight points coming from Quickley. New York put their pedal to the metal and opened up a 10-point lead with six minutes remaining, the largest in the game for the Knicks.
Brunson took over the game, making six straight points for the Knicks to give New York a 14-point lead. He ended up with 12 points in the final frame. However, the Jazz wouldn't go down quietly. Utah would cut the Knicks lead to six points with two-and-a-half minutes to play. But clutch free throws and defensive positions iced the game and the Knicks won in Utah, 118-111. The Knicks handed the Jazz their first loss at home.
Six Knicks scored in double digits. Brunson led the team with 25 points, and eight assists. Barrett, who was under the weather, had 18 points while Randle (15), Reddish (19), Quickley (13) and Sims (11) rounded out the scoring.
It should be noted that Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes did not play in this game as Thibodeau went with a nine-man rotation.