The Knicks were without six rotation regulars due to injury in January, making one of the best months in team history even more memorable.
Although the mainstays of the lineup, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, missed their second straight game, Tom Thibodeau’s red-hot Knicks defeated the Jazz at the Garden on Tuesday night, winning their eighth straight game, 118-103. It was a great way to conclude the first match in 14-2 months.
“One, I think we’re a deep team, but two, I think that’s the blueprint that Thibs gave us,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “Men can step up and play a role without trying too hard.
“We have an identity here, everyone agrees, and there is joy in our team right now. Everyone is celebrating each other, but at the same time, everyone is holding themselves accountable. I am.
DiVincenzo scored 33 points on an incredible 9-of-15 3-point shooting, and would-be All-Star Jalen Brunson contributed with 29 points and 9 assists, leading the Knicks in scoring. Then I heard chants of “MVP” over and over again. Flip the calendar and they’ve won 14 games for the first time since Pat Riley’s team went a perfect 14-0 in March 1994, when they lost in the NBA Finals.
The glory-era Knicks won a record 15 games (15-3) in December 1968 and went 14-1 in November 1969.
“We knew we were moving forward and on an upward trajectory. But I would be lying if I said I had a hunch this was going to happen,” Brunson said. “It’s just our depth. We have some guys that are ready to go as soon as they’re called. … Whether it’s playing three minutes or playing 30 minutes. they are ready.
“We have a group of talented people who think that way.”
To that end, Precious Achiuwa (18 points) and Josh Hart, who had his first career triple-double of 10, 10, 10 in 43 minutes, will start for the second consecutive game in place of Randle (dislocated shoulder). Then, the holes were filled in seamlessly again. ) and Anunoby (elbow pain).
“I think the important thing is not to replace individual players, especially a player like Julius,” said Thibodeau, who used an eight-man rotation for the second consecutive game following Monday’s win over Charlotte. . “That means our defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball.
“If you have these three ingredients, you can win.”
The Knicks’ recent run has gone from a 17-15 overall record to 31-17 after Philadelphia’s road loss to Golden State late in the night, moving them ahead of the 76ers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ta. That coincided with Anunoby’s arrival in late December in a groundbreaking trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors.
Randle, who injured his shoulder in Saturday’s game against the Heat, is expected to be out for at least several weeks, and the Knicks also signed reliable veteran big man Taj Gibson to a 10-day contract after being waived on Jan. 7. I was reinstated.
The audience chanted “We Want Taj” over and over again in the closing minutes, and the Brooklyn native was given a standing ovation with 29 seconds left.
“Right before I left, I felt like the team was really coming together,” Gibson said. “They really came together in terms of having good chemistry, working together and playing for each other.
“And now it’s reached a new level. Everyone’s more confident and able to play together. So it was great to see that and to be able to come back. I’m really happy.”
The Jazz suffered a crushing loss in Brooklyn on Monday night, but quickly jumped out to a 15-6 lead on the second night of back-to-back games between the teams.
Still, the Knicks rode the momentum and finished the quarter on a 23-7 run, with DiVincenzo scoring a team-best 11 points in the period, giving them a seven-point lead.
The Knicks led by nine points early in the second half, but Achiuwa’s classic 3-point play and DiVincenzo’s fifth trey of the first half kept the Jazz up 57-49 going into intermission.
Brunson only had eight points in the first half but had six assists, DiVincenzo had 19 points and Achiuwa had 11 points.
Brunson heated up in the third (13 points) and DiVincenzo hit two more triples to help the Knicks reach 25 points late in the period.
“We’re playing well and playing to our strengths,” Hart said. “I feel like there’s a really good vibe right now, and I think that’s the biggest thing.”
