Claxton breaks out in Nic of time
Shesterkin injured as Rangers pound Devs
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau saw things begin to change during the offseason. Culture has become a buzzword in NBA circles, but to Thibodeau, culture is defined as “how you do everything.” And when the team got together for offseason workouts, he saw the commitment Julius Randle made to getting better, a commitment that trickled down to RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and the rest of the Knicks roster.
“These guys have been terrific all season in terms of their commitment to the team, their willingness to work and sacrifice for each other,” Thibodeau said. “That’s been a big part of it.
Then each day, come in and put everything you have into it. We’ve got terrific veterans surrounding our young guys. The whole group has responded well. It’s day after day. There are no shortcuts to this.”
The hallmark of a good team is consistently beating the not-so good teams. After all the pump-faking they’ve done over the years, it’s too early to crown the Knicks a good team, but they sure looked like one in their 114-104 win over the league’s second-worst Detroit Pistons on Thursday, and credit goes to Thibodeau for changing a culture best summed up as toxic in years past.
The result has been a Knicks team that could be on its way to its first winning season since 2013, a team that has handled business winning games against lesser opponents with regularity this season.
“Last year, those games were a toss up. This year we’re handling business when we’re supposed to,” said Julius Randle, a first-time All-Star this season.
With the win over the Pistons, the Knicks (19-18) are 12-5 against teams firmly outside the playoff hunt. They are now a half game behind the Boston Celtics (19-17), who are fourth in the East, entering the All-Star break.
The Pistons (10-26) did not pose the toughest challenge. They were without Blake Griffin, who was away from the team while negotiating his way out of Detroit, as well as emerging star Jerami Grant (left quad), rookie Killian Hayes (hip) and point guard Delon Wright (adductor).
The Knicks, though, had their own fair share of missing bodies: Derrick Rose missed his second straight game due to the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, and Taj Gibson (ankle) and Mitchell Robinson (hand) were out as well. They imposed their will on the Pistons anyway, dominating defensively and lighting it up for three quarters until things got murky in the fourth.
The Knicks built a lead as big as 20 thanks largely to Julius Randle, the AllStar forward who recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone. They took a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter, a byproduct of an offense that moved the ball and found the open shooter or cutter, with every Knicks starter scoring in double figures on the night.
“Julius puts in a lot of work, a lot of things that people don’t see,” Elfrid Payton said. “He’s constantly working on his game on and off the court so seeing it all come together has been really special. He deserves everything that’s coming his way.”
In the fourth, the Pistons cut the Knicks’ lead down to 10 and almost cut it to eight had Randle not chased down Mason Plumlee for a block that led to a Knicks layup. The Pistons cut the Knicks lead down to nine with under three minutes to go in the fourth, but second-year guard RJ Barrett responded with a three that put the Knicks back up by double figures.
Dennis Smith Jr. played 26 minutes against the Knicks and scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
Randle flirted with a triple double and finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, bullying defenders on both ends of the floor. Barrett added another 21 points and five assists, and Frank Ntilikina came off the bench and hit three threes in his first three minutes, including one step-back shot that sent the limited but boisterous Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy.
Knicks fans should be frenetic over the product the organization has put on the floor. The Knicks finally look like a good team, and good teams handle business against lesser opponents.
When Nets general manager Sean Marks lost defensive anchor Jarrett Allen in the James Harden deal, he acknowledged there was no replacing what Allen brought to the team. Marks also acknowledged The Fro’s departure as an opportunity for someone else on the roster to step up.
“People can sort of seize this moment and take their games to another level,” Marks said after the Jan. 13 blockbuster deal, also citing Spencer Dinwiddie’s emergence amid injuries to D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert. “We’ve seen that in the past whether it was through injuries or trades, other people have used this as a platform to really step up… And we hope that other guys on this team will do the same, and also the people we bring in in the future.”
That someone else entering the All-Star break has been Nic Claxton, the second-year forward who has emerged as a breakout role player in Brooklyn.
Claxton doesn’t think it’s a breakout, but his last two games have been the best he’s played in the NBA. The Nets’ 2019 second-round pick out of Georgia set a career-high, scoring 17 points in 17 minutes in their Monday win over the San Antonio Spurs. He followed that performance with 16 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes in the Nets’ 132-114 win over the Houston Rockets, their final game before the March 5-10 NBA All-Star break.
“He’s played really well for us. He’s been huge coming back. I think for him, a lot of it is just trying to get obviously get healthy, get your body right, you know? Because it’s tough when you’re sitting out that long,” Nets three-point specialist Joe Harris said. “He’s missed a majority of his NBA career, and he’s really just itching to play, get out, compete, and for him to come out, just be able to compete on a nightly basis, it’s huge for him. But he’s shown a lot in terms of playing off of guys, competing, being in the right spots, and he gave us a lift off the bench.”
Claxton had been out the entire season dealing with knee tendonitis and did not play in the Orlando bubble last season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. He has only played 20 total games in his early NBA career but is already looking like a steal for Marks, who drafted Claxton 31st with the pick he received from the Philadelphia 76ers that was originally owned by the Knicks.
“It definitely doesn’t feel like a breakout stretch. I’m just staying present. That’s something I’ve worked on throughout my rehab, taking everything day by day, whether it’s having a good game, you learn, if it’s a bad game and do the same thing,” the second-year combo big man said. “I definitely wouldn’t say it’s a breakout stretch. I’m just continuing to learn how to play with the guys out there and continue to grow. The sky’s the limit.”
The official breakout will come when he can shoulder a bigger load.
Claxton has not played more than 17 minutes in any of the five games he’s appeared in this season. Nets head coach Steve Nash said it’s been rough on the lefty, almost seven-footer after being out 20 months. He was gasping for air, panting on the baseline after pushing himself in the win against the Spurs.
There isn’t much anyone can do to simulate both the speed and rigor of an actual NBA game, and Claxton, like most players who won’t be competing in NBA All-Star 2021 in Atlanta, will have time to himself for the next week or so. He said his performance against the Rockets was the best he’s felt this season from a conditioning standpoint and felt he could have played more minutes, but Nash wants to bring him along slowly.
“We worry a little bit about him adapting back to the physical demands after being off for such a long layoff,” Steve Nash said. “But he’s got himself through a few games here in a week and we’re keeping his minutes down, but he’s growing.”
Claxton has been one of the Nets’ most versatile players and flashed that versatility defending a number of
positions against both the Spurs and Rockets. Dinwiddie called Claxton the “second-most talented player” on the team behind Kevin Durant and noted he has a chance to be a special player. That talent has been on display entering the All-Star break, validating — at least for now — yet another gamble Marks made parting ways with Allen.
“He probably hasn’t played in a year until this week, but we all see the
potential: He’s a long, athletic, mobile modern five who can dribble, pass, finish around the rim, be a lob threat, and he can defend on the perimeter or inside. So we see the potential,” Nash said. “We try to keep Nic’s feet on the ground, keep him humble and hungry and little bit by little bit, not getting ahead of himself, because if he stays the course and keeps his head down, he’s gonna be a really good player.”
Rangers forward Chris Kreider is so hot these days, even shots that go off his body are finding their way into the net.
The only spoiler in his second hat trick in five games was a scary leg injury to goaltender Igor Shesterkin that led to him being helped off the ice late in the third period.
Kreider extended his goal-scoring binge to nine in the last six games and the Rangers beat the slumping Devils, 6-1, on Thursday night in Newark.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Rangers coach David Quinn, whose team has been without top forward Artemi Panarin for five games. “So, you know, he’s is a vocal leader. He’s playing physical. He’s playing hard at both ends and getting rewarded with some timely goals. It could not come at a better time for our team.”
Kreider, who scored three in a loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 24, has 13 goals overall. He completed his natural hat trick 23 seconds into the final period after scoring twice in the second. His fourth career hat trick came on five shots.
Shesterkin seemed to hurt his right leg with just under six minutes to play when he stretched to stop a 2-on1 break. He went down without contact and had to helped off the ice, dragging the leg.
Quinn didn’t have an update on the goaltender’s injury after the game, except to say it was lower body. Alexandar Georgiev finished the game.
Shesterkin kept the Rangers in the game in the first period by stopping 13 of 14 shots. He finished with 32 saves in helping the Rangers win their second straight and their fifth in 6 1 seven.
Pavel Buchnevich, Brendan Smith and Alexis Lafreniere also scored for the Rangers.
Jack Hughes scored early for the Devils, who have lost four straight and seven of eight. It was his third goal against the Rangers in as many games. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 11 of 15 shots before he was lifted. Aaron Dell finished up.
Kreider tied the game at 8:58 on a power-play rush. In quick succession. Adam Fox, Buchnevich and Ryan Strome connected on up-ice passes with Strome finding Kreider alone in front.
“Listen, the guy is hot, you get him the puck, and he’s obviously feeling it,” Strome said. “He’s got timely goals, big goals. And, you know, there’s such a short season that these games are so important and moments like that and plays like that from a veteran player lift everyone up. He was great tonight.”