Scenes from a valiant effort by a seven-man rotation of second-stringers

Tonight, the New York Knicks (35-24) hosted the New Orleans Pelicans (35-24) in the second game of a back-to-back. New York was playing without Jalen Brunson (neck spasms) and Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles), plus Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson. With all but one of their regular starters out, how would the remaining Knicks fare against Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and the Birds?

Through the first half, New York shot poorly yet again, but after losing the first quarter 26-19, they clawed their way back through the second. Thanks to 14 points from Bojan Bogdanović and constant hustle by Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa, they found themselves down only 48-47 at halftime. New Orleans extended their lead by six in the third quarter, however, and despite a valiant effort, the shorthanded Knicks simply could not contain Trey Murphy III (26 points), Brandon Ingram (24), Zion Williamson (21). The Pels shot 53% from deep; the Knicks, 30%. Final score: 115-92.

First Half

New York’s starting lineup consisted of Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, and Jericho Sims. This motley crew made seven of 22 first-quarter attempts. They did harass the Pels into five first-quarter turnovers, however. At the five-minute mark, Sims found himself defending a shaking and baking Brandon Ingram and ultimately blocked the star’s jumper. (BI hurt his ankle on the play and left the game for treatment.)

NOLA shot 6-of-10 from deep in the first and New York fell behind by eight points. They finished the quarter down, 26-19. Zion Williamson was questionable to play with an ankle issue but suited up, naturally. How could he resist those bright Garden lights? Here he tomahawks Hart in the chops. No whistle. The officiating woes continue.

Ingram returned for the second period. He, Trey Murphy III, and their feathered brethren connected to extend the visitors’ lead to 13. These replacement Knicks are a scrappy bunch, however. Increased defensive pressure helped the Knicks claw their way back. Bogdanović made a few face-slapping gaffes but scored 12 in the quarter and 14 in the half to lead all scorers (in 15 minutes). Josh Hart played 20 of 24 possible minutes, scoring 11 on 5-of-7 shooting. By halftime, the Knicks had narrowed the score to 48-47. Ingram had scored 11 for the Pels; Zion had 10.

Last night, Achiuwa played his quietest game since Julius Randle dislocated his shoulder. He didn’t fill up the stat sheet through the first two quarters (eight points, four boards, and a block), but he was involved in nearly every play. 21 first-half minutes, and a +2. DiVincenzo kept shooting, God bless him. He made only two of his eight first-half long-range attempts. He would finish the night with 23 points while shooting 8-of-21.

New York had shot 28% from deep; NOLA, 40%. The two teams were tied for rebounds (22), turnovers (8), and fouls (9). The Knicks had barely won the points in the paint (16-14) but had dished an promising 14 dimes. Not bad for a ragtag assortment. Here’s the first-half shot chart.

Second Half

New Orleans had the step on New York coming out of halftime, outscoring them 17-5 in the first seven minutes. After falling behind by 13, the biggest hole yet, DiVo hit his fourth triple (of 13 attempts) and Josh Hart hit yet another difficult layup.

The Knicks maintained a seven-point deficit for a while, but could never find a formula for making a real dent or stopping Zion and BI. In the third, our heroes shot 7-of-22, scored only 20 points, and closed the frame down 74-67.

A 6-0 start put the Knicks even further behind. Jericho Sims played nine-plus minutes in the third, but with a team-worst -16, he sat to start the fourth. The small-ball lineup, with Achiuwa at the five, struggled against those bigger birds. When the 6’8” Ingram pulled up for a jumper over the 6’2” McBride, the lead reached 15. Hope, like a pelican, has feathers. We could feel it taking flight.

As usual for a Tom Thibodeau-coached team, the Knicks kept swinging from the ropes. Putting the ball in the basket was the problem. On one fourth-quarter sequence, Precious grabbed two consecutive offensive boards before getting fouled on a missed bunny. He bricked one of two free throws. Achiuwa would play 40 of a possible 48 minutes tonight (15 points, seven boards, one block), after logging 34 last night. He might be a cyborg.

Down by 14, Josh Hart drew a Zion charge with 4:45 left. First: that must hurt. Second: what percentage of NBA players would have looked at the time and score and stepped aside to let the big man through? That’s a player right there. He finished tonight with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals in his 40 minutes.

The coaches emptied their benches with just under three minutes left and the Knicks down 22. With the win, the Pelicans swept the season series.

Up Next

The Golden State Warriors visit on Thursday to conclude the homestand. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score