At this time of the year, this time of the calendar, this time of the season, you don’t ask questions. I’m not looking for style points. Not apologizing for evaporating a 26-point lead by 20 points is like not congratulating yourself for getting your car back on its feet before it fell off a cliff.
Another day is off the calendar.
Add one win to the total to the left of the hyphen.
And you move on.
“We have to get rid of them right now,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Knicks beat it. The fourth quarter of this 110-96 victory at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia got a lot more interesting than expected as the Reds took a 67-41 lead with 25 minutes left in the game. There were too many turnovers, too many mishaps at the foul line, and too many moments where Tyrese Maxey looked like he was going to pull off a comeback all by himself.
And so they did just what was needed, walking out from the arena floor where the locals had long since surrendered to an invading army of Knicks fans.
The losing streak ended at 4. Bojan Bogdanovic made all six of his threes in his official game as a Knick. Jalen Brunson missed 13 of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers, but also had 21 points, 12 assists, and two big steals, posting a double-double with Josh Hart (18 points, 12). He was one of three Knicks to do so. rebound) and Precious Achiuwa (18, 11).
“We came out,” Achiuwa said. “And we took care of our business.”
they did it. And in doing so, they relieved tension for several days. Tensions hadn’t necessarily eased over the previous two days, when Julius Randle and OG Anunoby had given hopeful but vague assessments of when they would return to shore up the Knicks’ lineup — Randle. added. He also had the added bonus of not being able to completely rule out surgery on his damaged right shoulder.
Knicks fans, like the rest of the NBA, are curious these days about how quickly and easily a season can change directions, and how a four-game slate can turn into eight, 10, or even more. I know that. If we agree that it’s impossible to pinpoint a February game as a must-win, then it was fair to view Thursday’s restart as a meaningful moment for the Knicks. It’s a game full of intrigue as they continue to fight on the surface until the entire frontcourt recovers.
“We know we have to play hard,” Thibodeau said. “If we can do that, we have a chance to win.”
They won this game of intrigue and now they get to watch the mighty Celtics on prime time, on national television, and at home at The Garden on Saturday night.
Until a few weeks ago, it seemed certain that this would be one of those games that sometimes comes in the middle of winter with a faint but distinct scent of spring. The next eight weeks for the Knicks will be spent trying to position themselves to potentially face a C team in the playoffs — ideally among the second or third seeds in the Eastern Finals. Come in and come up with a backup plan to survive a 4-5 series. And then we’ll play them in the conference semifinals.
Because the Knicks play shorthanded, the high-beam spotlights illuminating the Garden’s marquee are necessarily dimmed a bit. They still honestly work their night jobs and seem to make the most of their opportunities when playing with family money. So even such a game would be treated the same as this one in Philadelphia and the hapless game against Detroit that follows Monday.
“Every game counts the same,” Thibodeau said.
And while the coach expressed concern Thursday night about the Knicks elbowing the Sixers back into the game, he also acknowledged the positives he saw. He watched the team rally for Brunson. He sees Hart being his usual two-way self (he’s a plus-59 in two games with Philadelphia this year), and Bogdanovic, who already seems to have mastered Thibs, is now I was reminded of what a potential weapon I had. dictionary.
“It’s always fun when me and the team play well,” said Bogdanovic, who had 22 points and three steals in just 24 minutes. “As long as the team is winning, it’s fun.”
Another day off the calendar. One more win to the left of the hyphen. Indeed, that is Thibodeau’s definition of “fun.”
