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Normally when I watch Knicks games, I pay about 75% attention. The rest of my attention is spent keeping up with Twitter or reading stuff on the interwebs. However, when it's my turn to recap a game, I try to avoid looking at my phone (other than to take notes) except during commercials. I followed that protocol tonight, but I still barely remember anything about this slogfest. It was a lazy, lazy performance by the Knicks, and that lack of interest diffused its way through my TV and into my brain.
Even though the Knicks spent the night shooting terribly, they hung with the Hornets for the entirety of the first half by playing good defense. Nicolas Batum, Al Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jeremy Lamb were all sitting tonight for Charlotte, so one would expect that down only 2 at halftime, New York could easily pull this one out. Well, one would be wrong.
Instead of turning their offense around in the second half like we all hoped they would, the Knicks turned their defense around, and the game got away from them. The Hornets went on a 25-6 run at the end of the third quarter to go up by 21 points; though New York cut it to 10 at one point in the fourth, they never truly threatened. Here are some notes. Whatever.
- This felt very similar to last night's game against the Clippers (offensively, at least) in that the Knicks looked to be getting good shots for the most part, but just couldn't hit them. Problem is, the Hornets are much worse than the Clippers are. Derek Fisher said after the game that the players seemed to be tired (you're just gonna have to trust me on that because it doesn't seem like any of the beat guys went to this game, understandably), and that definitely checks out:
@BobSaietta @ChinaJoeFlynn Tweeted it before, 8 games in 13 days to start 2016, and this is now the 5th in the last 8. Brutal stretch.
— Robert H (@bandwagonknick) January 24, 2016
Would've been nice if they had decided to continue playing defense after halftime regardless.
- Knicks: 38% from the field, 7/24 from 3. Hornets: 34% from the field, 9/31 from 3. So what gives, you ask? Free throws give. 19/32 for the Knicks, 32/37 for the Hornets. That's your score differential right there.
- Lance Thomas sat out again with his sore knee, while Carmelo Anthony sat the whole fourth quarter with a sore knee of his own, sadly the same one that was surgically repaired last year. However, Derek Fisher isn't concerned about either one:
Fisher didn't seem all too concerned about Melo complaining about sore left knee. A lot overtimes and back to back. Figures regular soreness
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) January 24, 2016
Lance Thomas said thought he was playing tonight after his workout but training staff wanted to wait.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) January 24, 2016
Oh, I guess Berman was at the game. You still have to take my word on the other Fisher quote because he didn't tweet it.
- Derrick Williams and Robin Lopez had pretty okay games. 19, 14, and 4 for DWill; 10 and 8 (all of it in the first half) for Robin.
- Turns out that the t-shirt Kristaps Porzingis has been wearing is meant to help with his posture to keep him from further injuring his shoulder. Clyde assumed Kris just wanted to look like Georgetown-era Patrick Ewing.
- Kevin Seraphin and Lou Amundson split the backup big man minutes, which is probably notable. I dunno.
- Jeremy Lin had a good night. 26, 5, and 5. Must be the new haircut. The old one almost killed Jerryd Bayless.
Like Walt Clyde Phraser said in the game thread, "we can't even use being shorthanded as an excuse." Lance Thomas is important to this team, but Charlotte was without 4 rotation players tonight and the Knicks still got outplayed. Oh well. Gotta get ready for a game against the Thunder on Tuesday, which should be an absolute blast. In the meantime, stay safe tonight, everyone. Snow's still falling.