IS IT TIME Knicks start tough stretch with loss to Giannis, Bucks
SETON HALL 77 ST. JOHN’S 69
The Knicks better hope this was just an All-Star hangover for their defense and Julius Randle.
Randle, an All-Star reserve Sunday in Chicago, responded Thursday with probably his worst game of the season as the Knicks were pulverized in Milwaukee, 134-101. Randle scored just seven points on 3-of12 shooting with five turnovers, a performance more reminiscent of his duds from last season. He was outplayed by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who recorded a triple-double in just 29 minutes.
Randle’s dreadful night was encapsulated in the final minutes of the third quarter, when he committed back-to-back ugly turnovers. He was stripped by Antetokounmpo, who converted a fastbreak jam on the other end, then traveled on the following possession. Coach Tom Thibodeau sat Randle right after the traveling violation and never played him again.
Randle said he frequently struggles coming off the All-Star break.
“I missed a couple of shots, layups, stuff I make forever, but I’m not too worried, man,” Randle said. “From what I remember, last couple of years, first game out of the break, I don’t know why, I’m always shi--y. I’ll get right back to it.”
The Knicks (19-19) have exceeded expectations but are in a precarious period and it’s worrisome that it started so poorly. They play the Sixers twice and the Nets over the next four games. Counting Thursday’s defeat, the Knicks face the top-3 teams in the Eastern Conference five times in nine games.
“The schedule is the schedule. Sometimes it’s in your favor. Sometimes it’s not,” Thibodeau said.
Thibodeau’s strategy Thursday was to clearly force somebody else on the Bucks to beat them, besides Antetokounmpo. They
BUCKS KNICKS
doubled and blitzed Antetokounmpo when he touched the ball. They tried to clog his driving lanes, put up a wall.
The Greek Freak managed just two points in the first quarter and six field goal attempts in the opening half. But there’s a reason he’s a two-time MVP, and Antetokounmpo exploded with 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line.
“A great player like that, you don’t guard him with one guy,” Thibodeau said. “You have to guard him with your team. They have a lot of shooting surrounding him, which puts enormous pressure on you.”
Derrick Rose missed his third straight game while in COVID protocol. His absence again thrust Frank Ntilikina into the rotation, and the Frenchman was scoreless in 15 minutes. Elfrid Payton, the starting point guard Thursday, also struggled while missing 10 of his 14 attempts.
“(Rose) is missed for sure. His presence and what he brings to the team is huge for us,” Randle said. “Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench he gets us going, playing fast. Whatever it is, we miss his presence. It’s tough but other guys have to step in and step up.”
Thibodeau said he doesn’t know whether Rose will return for Saturday’s game at OKC.
“I can’t answer that because I don’t know,” the coach said. “I’m following what (Knicks doctor) Callahan and what the league says. Once there’s clearance he’ll be available.”
The previous matchup against the Bucks, back on Dec. 27, the Knicks dropped 130 points and breezed over the title contenders. In that game, the Bucks were cold from beyond the arc, hitting just 7 of their 38 attempts. Thursday night was a different story.
Milwaukee knocked down 18 treys and shot 57% overall on New York’s lethargic defense.
With its NCAA Tournament hopes likely on the line, Seton Hall dug in and took a huge step toward sticking around in March.
Jared Rhoden hit six free throws in overtime to finish with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and the Pirates got past St. John’s, 7769, in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday to snap an untimely four-game skid.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points with 11 rebounds in 44 minutes for the fifth-seeded Pirates (14-12), who desperately needed a win to boost an NCAA resume that seemed pretty solid not so long ago.
“Obviously, we knew that the tournament was at stake,” Rhoden said. “You can’t think about that tournament. We are trying to win this one first.”