Knicks rout Pelicans for five-game winning streak
Knicks forward Julius Randle gestures in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Knicks have been well-drilled by Tom Thibodeau to avoid big-picture speculation. Answering questions about the final stretch of the season by pointing to the next day’s assignment is the furthest into the future they will allow their attention to go.
They haven’t quite reached the heights of the 1973 team, which won the second and most recent championship in franchise history and was honored at halftime Saturday night. But the long-struggling franchise seems to be headed in the right direction, and the Knicks took another step forward with a convincing 128-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Knicks have put together a five-game winning streak and a 35-27 record, good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the fifth-place Nets and 2 1⁄2 games behind the fourth-place Cavaliers.
On the second night of a back-to-back set, the Knicks put together a complete performance. They led by as many as 32 points over New Orleans, which was playing without Zion Williamson, and never trailed.
Julius Randle got it started with 16 of his 28 points in the first quarter. RJ Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists and Jalen Brunson added 20 points.
“We knew we had this challenge coming off the break,” Randle said. “We knew that before we went to break. So I think mentally we prepared for it. It was good.”
On a night when they honored the 50th anniversary of the 1973 team, the Knicks piled up 73 first-half points. “That’s pretty cool,’’ Randle said. “Especially at home, we want to get off to good starts. We did that today and sustained it.”
“Man, it was great just to see them here and just even see all the videos up on the Jumbotron and stuff,” Barrett said. “Just the energy that was in there tonight was amazing. They’re legends. It’s very inspirational, especially the way they were able to win a championship, bring a championship back to New York. That’s something that we’re trying to do, so it was great to have them in the building tonight.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, the crowd grew louder than it had been for the 50th anniversary celebration when Immanuel Quickley stole the ball to begin a fast break and flipped a pass off the backboard for Randle, who slammed it home.
With four minutes left, even Thibodeau made the move to empty the bench. A loud chant from the crowd for Derrick Rose was answered and he took the court for the final minutes, with even the Knicks players joining the cheers.
Yet for Thibodeau, there is the insistence that nothing has changed.
“No, we don’t change,” he said. “We lay out the plan in the beginning of the year and we stick to it. So there’s going to be different ups and downs. You’ve got to navigate the good, navigate the bad. We have to understand — stay focused, stay locked in to exactly what’s in front of you.
“The All-Star break does give you a chance to take a snapshot of where you are. But nothing changes in terms of attitude, approach and what you have to do and what goes into winning.”
Some has changed, though. The pressure on Thibodeau has disappeared as the Knicks have come together since Dec. 3, when they were 10-13 and licking their wounds from the worst loss of the season — a collapse at home against the Mavericks. But since then they have gone 25-14.
Now Josh Hart has arrived as a steady force — even closing games in place of Barrett since he came in the Reddish trade. Hart has provided another defensive, hustling force to the team, although Thibodeau insists he will go down the stretch with whoever is providing what the team needs.
“Just lock in,” he said. “It’s been steady improvement from the start of the season, so don’t change that approach. There’s always things that we can do better and understand that. So we want to keep growing each day, knowing things will be going up a notch right now.
“We’re headed down the stretch. But don’t get lost in what’s behind us or what’s ahead of us. Just lock into the day, what’s in front of us today. Then we’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow. Just keep your focus on giving everything you have to the team and let’s get better on both sides of the ball. So it’s pretty simple. And you want to build that routine so you can develop consistency.”
Notes & quotes: A story surfaced on Bleacher Report this past week that the Phoenix Suns were monitoring whether Rose will get a buyout from the Knicks. But Rose, asked about it before Saturday’s game, said he has not had any discussions of a buyout.
“No, I haven’t talked to anybody about that. I haven’t talked to anyone. I haven’t even thought about it,'' he said. "I’m locked in to my thing right now. It’s kind of hard to think about something that I’ve never pursued and never talked about with them . . . I’ve just been locked in, doing my recovery. Talk to Thibs about the team, talk to Leon [Rose] about the team, but other than that, I haven’t talked to them about [a buyout].”
Rose said that with his son playing for the Gauchos in New York, it’s not just his playing time that is a consideration. “He loves it over here,’’ he said. “I’d probably have to talk it over with him, even before Thibs.”
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.
