CHICAGO — Magic OG Anunoby Dust didn’t work against the Bulls.
The Knicks are currently tied in the standings and facing a five-game homestretch, but there is one glaring issue that needs to be fixed. That’s a bad start.
The Knicks, typically a strong team in the first quarter, have suffered blowouts in the first 12 minutes in four of their past five games.
They finally bounced back with Thursday’s win over the Kings.
Otherwise, their recent disappointing start has led to two losing teams, the Spurs and Bulls, and a loss against the rival Heat.
This is not typical of Tom Thibodeau’s strategy of maximizing preparation and concentration from the beginning.
Last season, the Knicks were just behind the Bucks and Celtics in the East Division in terms of positive point differential in the first quarter.
However, injuries have taken a toll on the rotation, and the Knicks haven’t had any momentum.
Against the Spurs, they trailed by 13 points in the first quarter.
Measures against the heat? followed by 12.
A game against the Bulls? In less than eight minutes, we were down 12 points.
In each of those losses, the Knicks got within four points by the fourth quarter, but ran out of gas.
Even including the loss to the Thunder on March 31, when the Knicks won in the first quarter, they have been trailed by an average of nine points in the first quarter of their past five games.
It was the worst result in the East heading into Saturday’s game.
Running uphill is more difficult.
“We’ve got to play tougher. Let’s play for the lead,” Thibodeau said. “We spend a lot of energy trying to get out of a hole.”
The problem is multilayered. In the games the Heat and Spurs lost, the Knicks were doing well until they started making subs.
Especially when Bojan Bogdanovic was in the game, their small point lead grew even more.
Bogdanovic’s net rating in the first quarter of his last five games has been pretty unsightly, at -89.
In the Bulls-Kings game, the Knicks basically came out of the gate strong.
Anunoby returned and looked pretty good considering his long layoff, but the team’s offense was anemic, missing mid-quarter subs Myles McBride and Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks were already trailing by 10 points when Josh Hart was ejected for a karate kick at the end of the first quarter, but it was difficult to determine whether it was intentional or not.
“They played with more energy and speed than we did,” Brunson said.
How do they fix early conflicts?
“Please wake up,” Branson said.
If it’s as simple as adding a cup of coffee, Nicks might as well light up the Keurig. With five games remaining, they could finish anywhere from second to eighth in the East.
Their next stop is their third game of the season in Milwaukee, where they are trying to avoid losing three times in the same city and in the same regular season, despite a glitch in their schedule due to an in-season tournament.
It might be a good time to catch the Bucks (47-30), who are losing momentum as a No. 2 seed.
Like the Knicks, they have lost four of their last five games, with three straight losses to the Wizards, Raptors and Grizzlies, the worst teams in the NBA.
Doc Rivers may have made the mistake of quitting broadcasting.
But the Knicks don’t want to get stuck in the mud again with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dame Lillard.
