1. Best win of the season
On March 2, the New York Knicks defeated a playoff-bound Houston Rockets team that was playing some of its best basketball by utilizing their small-ball lineup. This was by far the best win of the season.
The Rockets are a tough team to play. Especially since they have a bunch of shooters capable of sinking the three-ball and finishing at the rack. They’re a difficult team to guard for the Knicks because the Knicks are better defending the paint than the perimeter. According to NBA Advanced Stats, the Knicks are ranked the fourth-best defense at allowing points in the paint, by averaging 43.8 points in the paint. However, they allow an average of 112.3 points to opposing teams.
So when the Rockets are starting to knock down threes, it caused Knicks defenders to run out to the three-point line, giving the Rockets a clear path to the rim. Not to mention, the combination of James Harden and Russell Westbrook is intimidating because of their quickness, strength, and agility.
But the Knicks, and especially the younger guys, were up for the challenge that night.
| Basic Box Score Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
| RJ Barrett | 30:27 | 10 | 18 | .556 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 4 | 7 | .571 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 27 | -2 |
| Julius Randle | 29:55 | 5 | 14 | .357 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 6 | 8 | .750 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16 | -9 |
| Maurice Harkless | 29:38 | 4 | 8 | .500 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 6 | .500 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Taj Gibson | 23:41 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -4 | |
| Elfrid Payton | 19:29 | 2 | 7 | .286 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | +4 | |
| Reserves | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
| Frank Ntilikina | 28:31 | 5 | 10 | .500 | 1 | 6 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | -2 | |
| Mitchell Robinson | 24:18 | 5 | 8 | .625 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | +5 | |
| Wayne Ellington | 19:13 | 5 | 8 | .625 | 5 | 8 | .625 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | +1 | |
| Bobby Portis | 18:05 | 6 | 10 | .600 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 | +11 |
| Kevin Knox | 16:43 | 2 | 7 | .286 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | +6 |
| Allonzo Trier | Did Not Play | |||||||||||||||||||
| Damyean Dotson | Did Not Play | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team Totals | 240 | 47 | 97 | .485 | 12 | 30 | .400 | 19 | 30 | .633 | 20 | 45 | 65 | 26 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 19 | 125 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/26/2020.
Everyone was a contributor that night, but in particular, Barrett, Ntilikina, and Robinson were the key playmakers.
As you can see from the box-score, Barret led the team in scoring. But what’s not truly quantifiable was the defensive effort by Ntilikina and Robinson. With the Rockets playing small-ball, Robinson’s rim protection was evident as it caused the Rockets to alter their shots. Ntilikina, on the other hand, was using his length on the perimeter to create steals and make it difficult for players like Westbrook to score.
As fate would have it, Barrett would have the go-ahead score while Ntilikina provided the key defensive stop, both helping the New York Knicks seal the victory.
RJ BARRETT IS CLUTCH!!! #NewYorkForever #Knicks pic.twitter.com/R0LlB3bsdX
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1234676473769811969
If there are any grips about this game, it’s that Damyean Dotson and Allonzo Trier did not play. But other than that, this was a satisfying and electric win that had MSG rocking that night. And definitely, it was the most memorable game of the season…so far?