Kemba thrills with 44, but Knicks can’t beat Wiz
Kemba from the BX was back Thursday night. It was the Kemba Walker we remember from Rice HS and UConn and even the Hornets, the Walker who used to light up Madison Square Garden and was finally giving the Knicks a homecoming moment.
Walker was back to scoring 44 points, moving from Tom Thibodeau’s doghouse to hearing his name chanted by the crowd. But as the point guard was cooking on offense, the Knicks’ defense fell apart in a 124-117 loss to the Wizards.
Walker’s impressive stat line — 43 minutes, nine rebounds, eight assists, 14-for-27 shooting — was wasted. He scored 23 points in the second quarter, but only three in the fourth. And he got little help from the struggling duo of Julius Randle and Evan Fournier, as the Knicks (14-18) lost for the ninth time in their last 12 games.
“He played a monster game but we came out with a loss. So it’s a shame to waste that type of effort,” Thibodeau said. “When you’re shorthanded like we are right now, we can’t afford to play without great intensity on every possession. So that’s where we are.”
Thibodeau predictably lamented the team’s defense, which allowed the Wizards to shoot 56% and often operate unimpeded. Other than Walker’s fireworks, there wasn’t much positive to extract from another home defeat.
“(The defense) was very poor,” the coach said. “We didn’t have control of the ball. We didn’t have stance and vision on the weak side. It’s going to be hard to win like that.”
Walker carried a charming homecoming story to the Knicks but his stint was derailed after just 18 starts, when he was completely removed from the rotation by Thibodeau because the lineup was awful with him on the court.
An injury to Derrick Rose and several COVID-19 infections provided Walker another opportunity, and he seized it with reminders of a time, not too long ago, when he was earning four consecutive All-Star appearances.
Thursday’s performance followed two solid games from Walker, who is averaging 31.3 points and 40 minutes since returning to the rotation on Saturday. Of course, the defense remains an issue. It was the main reason Walker was removed from the rotation over three weeks ago, and Thursday’s opposing guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday combined for 37 points and 17 assists.
Still, the Knicks now need Walker’s contributions. Rose is out over a month after undergoing surgery Wednesday to his right ankle, with the hope he’ll be relieved of a pain that had been a sporadic hindrance for years. The Knicks were also missing multiple players due to COVID-19 protocols, with Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel and Miles McBride all inactive Thursday.
RJ Barrett was cleared from protocols but required more conditioning before returning to a game, according to Thibodeau. Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes were also cleared Thursday but only the former logged minutes against Wizards. Grimes, the rookie who scored a season high in his last appearance before testing positive, replaced Walker’s spot on the DNP list.
Beyond the absences, the Knicks desperately need a leading man because Randle has failed miserably in that role this season, with Thursday serving as the latest example. The NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player had 22 points but missed all five of his 3-pointers and committed four turnovers. Fournier shot 3-for-13.
The Knicks cut the deficit to 2 with 2:45 remaining, but then allowed Wizards 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.
Benching Walker didn’t solve the Knicks’ issues. They went 2-7 with him out of the rotation, with Randle continuing his struggles and Alec Burks failing to gain traction as the replacement point guard.
Walker’s earned his spot back but the Knicks need other things to fall in place to halt the funk.
“It felt great. It was a good time,” Walker said. “I really wish we could’ve won. It’s always tough when you play really well like that and don’t come out on top. It was definitely a very special night.”