Knicks' 21 wins this season a benchmark with many positives
The Knicks' Julius Randle reacts after a basket during the second half of an NBA game against the 76ers on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
In a little more than half a season, the Knicks have won the same number of games they won in a season-plus under coach David Fizdale.
The Knicks’ win over the Magic Thursday raised their record to 21-21. Under Fizdale, they were 17-65 his first season and 4-18 when he was fired in December of 2019. When the Knicks’ 2019-20 season ended last March, they had gone 21-45 under Fizdale and interim coach Mike Miller.
Perhaps it’s only appropriate that the Knicks’ 94-93 win over Orlando was their 21st of the season, given that it was almost a microcosm of their season under Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
The reasons the Knicks defeated the Magic are the same reasons that they are so much better this season than they were last season: They are playing hard-nosed defense, Julius Randle is playing like an unstoppable stud, and a rotating cast of characters are stepping up and making big plays when they need it.
"Defense has been our calling card all year," Randle said after Reggie Bullock came up with a game-winning steal to preserve the Knicks’ victory. "That’s how we win games. That’s how we won today."
The Knicks are holding opponents to a league-low 104.9 points under Thibodeau. Opponents are shooting a league-low 33.3% from three-point range and 44.2% overall, which is the second lowest in the league.
Then there’s the play of Randle, who had his third triple-double of the season against the Magic. In a game in which the Knicks were dangerously short of point guards, Randle came up with a career-high 17 assists along with 10 rebounds and 18 points. On the season, Randle is averaging 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists to go along with knocking down 40.8% of his three-pointers.
"I thought Julius was fabulous," Thibodeau said. "He’s just making plays. To have 17 assists and just find a way to win [was great]."
Finally, the Knicks got clutch performances from a diverse cast of characters. Alec Burks, starting for just the fourth time this season, scored 21. Bullock had 20, and second-year player RJ Barrett added 17.
Even the defensive-oriented Frank Ntilikina came up with some big buckets. In scoring 13 points, Ntilikina knocked down three three-pointers and brought his teammates to their feet when he drove over the top of center Nikola Vucevic.
"I just wanted to be aggressive," Ntilikina said. "I saw the guard was looking at the screen so I tried to reject it and just go aggressive to the basket to try to create something and make it happen."
Said Thibodeau: "I thought Frank played a good game all around. He’s taking the right shots. As long as he does that we just believe in the process of him working on those shots, and when he’s open, shooting well. Some are going to go, some won’t. That’s part of the game."
A game and a season that is looking a lot better for the Knicks than it has in awhile.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
