Knicks 102, Spurs 98: Postgame Reaction
After falling behind big in the third quarter (thanks to the “efforts” of a certain starting point guard), the Knicks stormed back on the backs of RJ Barrett, Alec Burks, and Julius Randle to take a huge win at home.
One paragraph to describe the game
Neither team had it to start the game. The Spurs looked like a team playing a road back-to-back. The Knicks looked like… a team that just couldn’t hit a damn shot. It certainly didn’t help when they gave Elfrid Payton however many minutes to start the game. Go figure, that was also an issue in the second half, and led to the Knicks falling behind by as many as 17 points in the third quarter. But Thibs (finally) subbed Elf out, and then the Knicks, led by Alec Burks (30 points), RJ Barrett (24), and Julius Randle (25) came all the way back and closed out the Spurs down the stretch, despite some truly horrendous officiating.
Game ball
Alec Burks: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 11-20 shooting, 5-10 from three
Both Burks and Immanuel Quickley came back in this game, and talk about a tale of two players. Quickley struggled to get anything going, while Burks went absolutely nuclear on a night when the Knicks needed every one of his 30 points. His shot creation and perimeter shooting helped bust up the zone D that the Spurs went to, and he made a number of good second-chance plays as well. Without Derrick Rose, Burks playing the de facto “point guard” was a necessity.
Big stat
Zero points, 0-4 shooting, -11 in 13 minutes. That was Elfrid Payton’s stat line. How many more wasted, detrimental minutes is it going to take before Thibs sees the damn light? He makes such good decisions otherwise! It’s so weird that this is his blind spot!
Unsung hero
Frank Ntilikina: 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1-1 from three in 6 minutes
Just give Frank all of Elf’s minutes. At least Frank goes about 50/50 with good nights vs. off nights.
Other significant performances
Julius Randle: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists
RJ Barrett: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5-9 from three
