FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Knicks finally get a win and Frank’s solid in MSG debut
As the only winless team in the NBA, the Knicks were looking up at everyone else in the league standings entering Friday’s home game against the Nets.
Brooklyn has been one of the early surprise teams in the NBA to open the new season, but the rebuilding Knicks offered their home fans a taste of their future and finally got into the win column with a thorough 107-86 decision over their local rivals at the Garden.
Kristaps Porzingis bounced back from a poor shooting night Wednesday in Boston to lead the way with a game-high 30 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, while first-round pick Frank Ntilikina significantly logged 21 solid minutes off the bench (nine points and five assists) and made a difference at both ends in his MSG debut.
“We got the win, so that is the most important thing,” Ntilikina, the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft, said after the game. “I am trying to bring what I can bring to my team. That is what I did. Now I am focused on working and bringing more.”
D’Angelo Russell also returned from an injury and scored a team-high 15 in 18 minutes for the Nets, who had won three of their first five games, including a spirited victory over LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
The rebuilding Knicks (1-3) fully appeared
to be headed in the other direction after the offseason trade of perennial All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony.
Rotation veterans Courtney Lee (13 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) essentially both charged this week that the Knicks hadn’t even known what plays coach Jeff Hornacek wanted to run at times during their 0-3 start.
Things seemed so bad already for the Knicks that second-year Nets coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged being concerned before the game about a letdown for his team. “I give the Knicks a lot of credit. We couldn’t handle their pressure,” Atkinson said afterward. “They got into us and then we couldn’t keep them off the boards… Great job by their rookie point guard getting into us.”
Jarrett Jack moved into the starting lineup over veteran point guard Ramon Sessions (DNP) and netted eight points with five assists. But the 6-foot-5 Ntilikina also notably earned his first action at MSG and impressed after missing the previous two games with a sprained ankle and most of the summer and training camp with knee issues.
“I like how he came in the game and didn’t force anything,” Porzingis said. “He had a good pace and controlled the team. Being 19 years old, he’s great at doing that. He missed some shots, but overall he had a great game. Going forward he’s going to be able to get triple-doubles. That’s what type of player he is.”
Ousted team president Phil Jackson’s draft choice out of France came off the bench late in the first quarter, and while not scoring during that stint, he was plus-8 with three assists over eight first-half minutes. He later received an appreciative ovation when he was removed from the game in the fourth quarter.
“I thought Frank’s influence, when he got in there with his long arms, defensively it’s continual work for us, but we showed some progress tonight,” Hornacek said.
Indeed, Hornacek’s team collectively played stingier defensively and crashed the boards harder than it had previously, finishing with a 55-34 rebounding advantage. The Knicks trailed by 10 points early, before leading by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
“It’s important. I think we were the only team that didn’t have a win, so you can scratch us off that board,” Lee said. “It just felt good to get a win. The feeling around the locker room definitely is different.”