FRANKS A LOT!
Ntilikina starts with Burke, and Knicks win
WASHINGTON – After acknowledging that the front office was part of the decision to start Emmanuel Mudiay, Jeff Hornacek pulled the plug on the trial and, lo and behold, the Knicks actually won.
Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina started together in the backcourt for the first time Sunday — sending Mudiay to the bench — and Burke emerged as the hero as New York shocked the Wizards on the road, 101-97. Burke, the former lottery pick, said it was his first start in over three years and it took a little while to overcome nerves. But by the end, he nailed the biggest shot of the game — an and-1 layup with 35 seconds remaining — and finished with a game-high 19 points.
“After the third or fourth minute, I was just relaxed,” he said. “It feels good to be back in the starting lineup running a franchise.”
Mudiay was thrust into the lineup just three games after he was traded from the Nuggets last month, and his struggles went across the board – defense, playmaking, scoring. It reached the point of Hornacek benching Mudiay for all but five minutes in Friday’s game, two days before pulling him from the lineup for Burke.
Ntilikina, meanwhile, started in place of Courtney Lee.
“We all knew that we wanted to look at (Mudiay). That’s why we traded for him,” Hornacek said. “Is it good that we started him right away? Maybe after the fact, you say we put him in a tough situation. Some guys can just pop in there and go right to it.”
Hornacek harped on Mudiay’s defensive effort, a concern since he was drafted seventh overall in 2015.
“One thing we wanted to get on him about is to pick up the defense. He’s got the size. He’s got the strength for it, just to put that full effort out,” the coach said. “This league is full of great point guards. We have to have guys that can put some pressure on those guys when they come off pick and rolls.”
Hornacek said he may continue to change the lineup, but it was very clearly Mudiay’s starting spot to lose until Sunday.
The 22-year-old played better with the reserves, scoring 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting with seven assists and six boards.
But he was replaced in offensive ineffectiveness by Ntilikina, who managed just two points and one assist in 21 minutes. Ntilikina AP was instrumental in holding Washington star Bradley Beal to 5 of 17 shooting.
“If I’m out there, I’m just going to play,” Mudiay said.
Neither Ntilikina nor Mudiay were on the court to close the game, however, when the Knicks (27-47) outscored the Wizards, 7-2, in the final 35 seconds.
Burke and Lee combined to score 14 of New York’s 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Hornacek said the lineup situation is fluild, but it’s hard to imagine him making any changes soon after the Knicks won for just the fourth time in their last 23 games.
“As we go forward we’ll change lineups, who comes off the bench, who starts, it doesn’t really matter,” the coach said. “We’re trying to get the young guys enough playing minutes that that they can all have that experience and try to grow from playing.”