KNICKS RETURN TO EARTH
Nuggets all business in Garden romp
NUGGETS 114 KNICKS 89
Under normal circumstances, the Sunday game at MSG would be considered a trap for the visitors. Especially for those Western Conference teams that can only experience the New York nightlife once per season.
A Saturday night at 1Oak has sabotaged the road team before.
But this is a pandemic. The clubs are closed. The Nuggets couldn’t even leave the hotel Saturday night for dinner.
“The NBA is trying to keep teams in their restricted hotels,” Denver coach Mike Malone said. “The list that came out for our approved restaurants – and in New
York and Brooklyn there are no restaurants listed right now.”
The Nuggets certainly played Sunday’s early tip-off like they achieved maximum rest, steamrolling over the Knicks, 114-89. If anything, the Knicks looked gassed and disengaged. Coach Tom Thibodeau harped on effort and intensity in his postgame interview.
“(A lack of urgency) is a hard thing to see because often it’s very small,” Thibodeau said. “Your intensity comes from your concentration and giving maximum effort. You have to prepare yourself to play hard.”
Julius Randle agreed.
“I don’t think (the Nuggets) felt our aggression at all,” the power forward said.
They were outclassed by Nikola Jokic, the 7-foot Serbian, who scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in just 30 minutes. Although Jokic is averaging a triple-double and will be an MVP candidate if the Nuggets (5-5) continue their upward trend, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson didn’t seem overly impressed.
“Really not that hard (guarding him),” said Robinson, who scored 11 points with zero fouls in 34 minutes. “Just make sure your teammates know what’s going on. It’s not that hard at all. You can guard anybody. It depends on how you play them. I was there on every move he did. He just made tough shots. I felt like it wasn’t hard at all.”
Asked about Jokic’s level of greatness, Robinson said, “He’s talented. He’s in the league for a reason. He got his skills. But like I said, it really wasn’t hard guarding him.”
The Knicks (5-5) have dropped two straight, both at home, and outside of Randle got little offensively Sunday. Randle finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds. He joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to score at least 200 points with 115 rebounds and 70 assists in the first 10 games. Jokic fell three rebounds short of the same trifecta.
RJ Barrett continued his inefficiency for the Knicks, missing nine of his 13 attempts. He’s shooting 37% for the season, including 20% from beyond the arc. Immanuel Quickley also struggled with just two points on 0-for-4 shooting in 13 minutes.
The Knicks were never competitive, falling behind by 10 in the first quarter and 21 at the half.
The Nuggets dominated like a team well rested and fully prepared for a Sunday tip-off. The Knicks played like they had a hangover from their loss two nights earlier to the Thunder.
“There’s nothing we’re doing well right now but that doesn’t mean we can’t change it,” Thibodeau said.