One, two, three, 4, 5 3-pointers made.
It was a primary quarter for the ages for lightning rod Nets guard Cam Thomas, and a gap interval from hell for a Knicks staff that secured a 124-122 victory over their cross-bridge rival however continues to be working to shore its defensive processes after a notable pair of franchise-altering offseason strikes.
The Knicks traded 5 first-round picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges, then despatched Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Cities.
They’ve spent the early portion of the season constructing a defensive id round Bridges because the staff’s de facto point-of-attack defender.
And in Brooklyn, the purpose of assault is Thomas, the previous Kyrie Irving understudy who erupted for 43 factors on 16-of-22 taking pictures from the sector and 7-of-10 taking pictures from deep albeit in a shedding effort in opposition to the Knicks on Friday.
Thomas scored 19 factors within the first quarter alone and made all 5 of his 3-point makes an attempt within the opening interval.
His efficiency underscored perimeter protection as a obligatory level of enchancment for a Knicks staff that wishes to deal with the Boston Celtics for a shot at an NBA title this season.
The struggles have dated again to the season-opener in Boston and have remained a continuing by way of the Knicks’ early season:
Jayson Tatum scored 37 in a 24-point Celtics victory
Tyrese Haliburton acquired a ton of open appears to be like in Recreation 2 however missed all of them (0-for-8 taking pictures) in a 25-point Knicks win
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell hung 59 mixed factors on near 60 % taking pictures within the third recreation of the season
Tyler Herro scored 34 factors and made eight 3s
Haliburton put up 35 and 15 within the Pacers’ victory in Indiana
And the again court docket mixture of Zach LaVine and Coby White totaled 54 factors of their buzzer-beating victory over the Knicks on Wednesday
Add within the efficiency by Thomas — who continuously spliced the Knicks protection to complete on the rim or discovered open appears to be like from past the arc — and there’s a transparent pattern of Tom Thibodeau’s crew struggling to protect perimeter scorers although the roster was constructed in a way that lended itself to conducting that very feat.
Thibodeau touched on Bridges’ struggles forward of tipoff in opposition to the star ahead’s former staff on Friday, characterizing them extra as staff defensive struggles than points Bridges bears alone.
“It’s hard because you’re doing things with five people. So oftentimes if someone get scored upon, maybe someone’s not in the gap, someone’s not reading the ball correctly. So there’s a lot of variables that go into it,” Thibodeau defined. “It’s not like baseball where there’s a hitter and a pitcher and you can say, ‘OK, that’s a strikeout. That’s a hit,’ and even that sometimes, it’s a line drive and it’s an out. But I think there are things that you can measure. There are some things we’re doing well defensively, but there are things we’ve got to get better at.
“He’s guarding a lot of point guards and that sort of thing. When you’re evaluating pick-and-roll defense is the communication correct? Is the body position of the big correct? Is the shell correct? Are we closing the gap correctly? There’s a lot of things that go into it. We have to get better at a lot of things.”
The Knicks have been with out Cities (left knee contusion) and Miles McBride (sickness), whereas Jalen Brunson (sprained proper ankle) and Cameron Payne (strained left hamstring) have been listed as possible and performed by way of their accidents.
Brunson completed with a team-high 37 factors and seven assists on 12-of-20 taking pictures from the sector — together with the game-winning three within the fourth — and Bridges added 22 factors on 4-of-7 taking pictures from downtown. OG Anunoby scored 25 factors on 10-of-17 taking pictures from the sector, and the Knicks moved again as much as .500 with a 6-6 document.
The Nets missed beginning and backup facilities Nic Claxton (again process) and Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring pressure), however Ben Simmons began at middle and completed with 4 factors, 5 assists and seven rebounds in 25 minutes of motion.
The Knicks constructed a 21-point lead, however the Nets slowly chipped away within the last interval and made a push when Anunoby fouled out with 4:15 left within the fourth and the Knicks up seven.
The Nets took a 122-121 lead on a Dennis Schroder three with six seconds left within the regulation, however Brunson responded with a go-ahead three, and Bridges blocked a last-second effort by Schroder to ship the sport into time beyond regulation.
The Knicks host the Nets yet one more time in one other NBA Cup recreation on Sunday, then welcome the Washington Wizards within the second leg of a back-to-back earlier than embarking on a five-game West Coast highway journey.
It’s clear they should work on sure areas of their protection, however a win is a win, and the Knicks will take them as they arrive.
Initially Printed: November 15, 2024 at 10:45 PM EST
