Knicks' Frank Ntilikina finds a groove down the stretch in loss to Pacers
Frank Ntilikina of the Knicks puts up a shot between Wilson Chandler and Garrett Temple of the Brooklyn Nets during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. Credit: Jim McIsaac
For a team like the Knicks, this is the time of the season when a countdown begins, checking off how many games are left before summer vacation. Even the fans’ patience wears thin. It is a time when at the very least, they want to see the team’s young players on the court.
For one night at least, one of the team’s young lottery picks got a start Friday night, with Frank Ntilkina stepping into the lineup in place of Elfrid Payton, who was out of action with a sore right ankle.
The Knicks entered the night seven games out of the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and trying to make the playoffs vs. playing the youngsters is a decision the team must consider now.
Ntilikina struggled early, missing four of his first five shots and not even registering an assist through the first three quarters. But as the game wore on and the Knicks fell behind by as many as 22 points, he began to contribute, hitting a jumper in the lane, then a three-pointer and then another three-pointer to help bring the Knicks within eight midway through the fourth quarter.
In the end, like too many other nights, it wasn’t enough. The Knicks fell to the visiting Pacers, 106-98, and fell to 17-39.
It was only Ntilikina’s third starting opportunity since Dec. 20 as Payton has taken over the starting point guard job and Dennis Smith Jr. saw his minutes rise just ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month.
Ntilikina has played more for the Knicks this season than he ever had and has had his chances to earn more time, but the incremental signs of progress have been surpassed by the play of Payton as the Knicks have focused on improving on last season’s record.
“I think Frank has really done a lot of good things,” interim coach Mike Miller said. “We’ve done different things with him, too. We went a stretch a couple of weeks ago where we played him off the ball more and I can see us doing that on occasion when the game calls for it. But I think he’s done a great job running the team.
“He has a really good command of what we’re trying to do offensively. He has a really good feel for who he’s playing with and he’s helped them. His assist opportunities have increased. A lot of those depend on who he’s playing with. He’s played with Mitchell [Robinson] a lot. He’s done a really good job with Mitchell, setting him up and putting him in a position to do what he does.
“Defensively, I think he’s taken even another step. I think he’s done a very good job defensively. I think he’s really shown growth in a lot of areas.”
It showed Friday night as Ntilikina kept shooting after the early struggles, showing signs of confidence that were lacking in those first two seasons. He finished with 14 points and 5-for-11 shooting, with two assists, two steals and no turnovers in 32 minutes. “I think the most important thing is to be able to take good shots, not refuse them,” he said. “Take them with confidence.”
“I think he has a command of things, certainly, and it goes with his position,” Miller said of Ntilikina. “He plays, I’ve heard this many times by coaches and players, maybe the toughest position to play, the point guard, because you really have to get outside of yourself and see other things. So I think he has done a good job in those areas because he’s been consistent in the things that we’ve talked about.”
Bobby Portis had 19 points and RJ Barrett added 17 for the Knicks. T.J. Warren scored 27 points and Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers. Indiana built an 86-71 lead, but Damyean Dotson’s three-pointer with 23 seconds left got the Knicks within 98-94.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
