News Knicks Team Notes

[New York Knicks]

Knicks 116, Heat 112: “Garden South”

Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks deliver their biggest come-from-behind win of the year.

Heading into tonight, the New York Knicks (40-20) and the Miami Heat (28-31) had both won two consecutive games. The latter dominated early, outscoring the Knicks 62-45 by halftime behind a 16-0 run and strong performances from Bam Adebayo, rookie Kel’el Ware, and Tyler Herro. New York’s offense struggled, shooting just 36% from the field, and their defense was tough as tissue. The Knicks won the third quarter and erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to end regulation with a 105-105 tie. Jalen Brunson sparked the Knicks in overtime, their defense tightened, and after Alec Burks’ late three made it a one-possession game, an OG Anunoby dunk sealed the win, 116-112.

For the Knicks, Captain Clutch led the scoresheet with 31 points, six dimes, five boards, and two steals. He shot 13-of-25 from the field and 3-of-11 from deep. OG Anunoby added 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals in his 43 minutes. His defense was outrageous in the second half. Karl-Anthony Towns had a 19-16 double-double, and Josh Hart logged 14 points and seven boards. Mikal Bridges played just 28 minutes (five points, eight assists). No minutes for Precious Achiuwa.

For the Heat, Adebayo logged 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and Herro contributed 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting.

Quoth @back: “Garden South.” The Pat Riley Court at the Kaseya Center might be the home of the Heat, but we heard those MVP chants for Jalen Brunson all the way up the coast.

First Half​

Miami’s coach Eric Spoelstra has started 15 different lineups this season. Tonight’s assortment included OAKAAKYUOAK Alec Burks, and Spo was missing injured rotation players, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins. No sweat. The Heat came out blazing, jumping to a 10-point lead and taking the first quarter 27-22. Of Miami’s total, 24 points came in the paint, while New York struggled, missing 14 of 23 shots and coughing up five turnovers. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby chipped in five points apiece for the visitors.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ sore knee still seems to be hampering him, but Mitchell Robinson looked sharp off the bench:

BLOCKED BY MITCHELL ROBINSON

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/qanGcDqSiJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 2, 2025​

The second quarter started much the same. New York’s second unit provided a brief spark, with Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet knocking down three triples to cut the deficit to one by the midway point. Don’t get too excited—they wouldn’t get any closer. The Heat responded with a 16-0 run, ballooning the lead to 19 by halftime. Fun fact: that was Miami’s longest scoring streak of the season. They hit the break ahead, 62-45.

In a game defined by bruising, Spoelstra-style basketball, the first free throws weren’t taken until the second quarter, and only 15 fouls were called through the first 24 minutes. Get well soon, refs! Benefiting from the friendly whistle, Miami’s frontcourt trio of Bam Adebayo, rookie Kel’el Ware, and Davion Mitchell combined for 33 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. Ware made New York’s bigs look foolish, swatting five shots in his first 16 minutes. Meanwhile, Tyler Herro—one of the league’s premier irritants—added 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Nothing from Burks yet.

The vaunted Knicks offense sputtered, shooting just 36% from the field and 6-of-23 from deep. Josh Hart led the team with 10 points, while KAT posted nine points and eight boards.

Second Half​

Struggling to get stops in the first half and needing to outscore Miami by 17 just to tie, the Knicks’ prospects were less than promising. Their fortunes dimmed further when Alec Burks hit the gas in the third quarter, drilling three triples . . . but Jalen Brunson was starting to feel crafty out there:

that no look from @jalenbrunson1 to @joshhart was TOUGH pic.twitter.com/VRTl72QISb

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2025​

Tyler Herro cooled off, missing six of seven shots, while the Knicks surged with a 13-0 run, fueled by an energized Mitchell Robinson:

MITCHELL ROBINSON HUSTLE pic.twitter.com/buPmGqMVLW

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 3, 2025​

New York won the frame 36-25 and entered the fourth up 87-81.

Cameron Payne, spelling Brunson, opened the final quarter with a three, but things unraveled fast—Anunoby bricked two triples, McBride missed a jumper, and just like that, Miami was back up by 12. McBride redeemed himself with a three, Brunson (back in the mix) sliced through for three slick layups, and suddenly, the Knicks were within one. Davion Mitchell missed two free throws, and with three minutes left, Deuce cooked Herro for a mid-range dagger to give New York the lead.

Pining for defense? Here’s some:

OG with the stop, cap with the drop pic.twitter.com/L5a7HMDVUb

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2025​

Herro answered with five straight points to put Miami back on top inside the final minute. Anunoby cleaned up a Brunson miss with a putback, Haywood Highsmith bricked at the other end, and Captain Clutch raced for a contested layup to tie it at 105.

CAPTAIN. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/Iihxwckjrr

— Knicks Fan TV (@KnicksFanTv) March 3, 2025​

Anunoby and McBride locked down Herro, forcing a miss with three seconds left, and OG secured the board for a quick timeout. Mikal Bridges, who sat the whole fourth, checked in for the final play. Brunson, swarmed by defenders, found him in the corner—but the shot hit the side of the backboard.

Overtime​

Jalen outscored the Heat 5-4 to open the bonus period, as New York’s defense kicked into another gear—Anunoby locked up Herro, and Deuce denied Davion Mitchell at the rim. A Josh Hart bucket, courtesy of a Brunson assist, gave the Knicks their largest lead yet at four with 1:15 to play. Hart then stripped Adebayo on what should have been an easy putback. These ‘Nova cats are wild:

HART OF THE CITY pic.twitter.com/JZsOF5nyGG

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2025​

During a timeout, Spoelstra dialed up a play for Big Money Burks, who buried his fourth triple with 27 seconds left. The Knicks burned two timeouts to get their strategy straight, but crisp ball movement set up an Anunoby dunk to seal the win.

Up Next​

The Knicks host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday before starting a five-game west coast swing. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/2/24376520/knicks-116-heat-112-garden-south

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘It’s going to be sore, but hey, I had a game to play’

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

A devilish New York inflicted five minutes of extra pain on Miami beating the Heat in overtime.

The Knicks are getting dangerously accustomed to play games into overtime, but as long as they keep winning those I’ll be cool with it.

New York visited Garden South on Sunday, defeated the Miami Heat 116-112, and by doing so completed their biggest comeback of the season, clearing a 19-point deficit and turning it into a four-point victory. Uh, oh, these pretenders-turned-contenders!

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few other Knickerbockers had to say before and after yesterday’s affair.

Tom Thibodeau​

On the Knicks’ 19-point comeback win against Miami:

“Obviously we didn’t want to get in a hole like we did in the first half.

“They’ve been playing really well. I thought our defense tightened up in the second half and the rebounding was really good. Then we started making shots and there were timely plays and a lot of hustle plays that really got us going.

“It was slow in the first half. We were missing open threes, and we let that take away from the intensity that we needed defensively, but I thought the second half was really good.”

On Jalen Brunson’s poise in big moments:

“The thing that’s unique about Jalen is his poise under pressure and he can beat you a lot of different ways.

“He can beat you with a shot, he can beat you off the dribble, he can beat you with a finish, he can beat you with a pass. He also understands who is going well.

“Are they sending two at him? Are they sending three at him? Are they collapsing? What’s the right play? And he’s great at it.”

On his decision to bench Mikal Bridges at the end of the fourth quarter and through OT:

“Just help the team any way you can.

“And I think that goes a long way. Some nights it may be somebody else’s night. And that’s the guy we got to ride. If we’re putting the team first, that’s what we got to do.”

On Bridges’ attitude in accepting the decision for the better of the team:

“That’s what you love about the team. Whoever has got it going, we’re going to ride those guys a little bit more.

“The most important thing is the team winning. And Mikal is fully engaged in the team and he does a lot of the dirty work for us and it’s much appreciated.”

On Matt Ryan’s contributions to the Knicks and the FO plans for roster adjustments:

“I thought he did a really good job for us. Hard worker.

“You’re always looking at ways to improve the team. [Team president Leon Rose] and his staff, that’s what they do. And then we’re obviously very pleased with him and wish him well.”

On how the Knicks need to approach the season one game at a time:

“That’s the NBA. You don’t want to get high. You don’t want to get too low. You focus on what’s in front of you.

“The most important thing is finding a way to win and in this league every team is capable of beating you. So just keep improving every day. That’s our goal. We have a daily goal to improve. So whatever that is, focus on that, knowing that you have to play your best at the end.

“No one is winning a championship today. It’s all the things that you’re doing each and every day to get you there to give yourselves the best chance to win. And that’s what it takes.

“There’s a heavy price to pay for winning, and you have to do it every day. There’s no shortcuts to it.”

No matter what - @jalenbrunson1 is going to find a way to help @nyknicks win. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/olZ07QUXC5

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 3, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On Thibodeau’s halftime speech fueling the Knicks comeback on Sunday:

“It doesn’t matter what the score is. I mean, we’re gonna keep fighting no matter what. I don’t really care what clicks. That’s what we’re gonna do.

“We’re capable as a team, and Thibs knows that. He just had to remind us. When we get to a slow start, obviously, we got to come back with some fire. We decided to do that a little late, but we came out of it with a win.”

On his inherent ability to just win games:

“I’m gonna find a way to help this team win. It doesn’t matter.

“We’ve gotta come out and play Knicks basketball. We’ve gotta fight. We didn’t do that in the first half. They got the best of us.”

On injuries affecting Anunoby and Hart’s shooting but not stopping them:

“It may have something to do with it. I think you’re always trying to find your way back into things.

“We have the utmost confidence in each other. Regardless of what’s going on we’ve got to give each other confidence when it comes to stuff like that.”

On Ariel Hukporti’s injury:

“It’s unfortunate to see that. Obviously we’re going to pray for a speedy recovery, just make sure his mental is right, his mentality is right.

“I’ve been saying this all year, I’m really proud of him with what he’s been able to do in a short time. Can’t wait to have him back as soon as possible.”

pic.twitter.com/MB460zsVqo

— Josh Hart (@joshhart) March 3, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On playing through a hard fall on Sunday:

“It was obviously a hard fall. Then, I didn’t want to be soft, so I got up and kept playing and continued to be aggressive.

“It’s going to be sore [Monday], but hey man, I had a game to play.”

Mitchell Robinson with the powerful dunk for his first bucket of the season (with replays) pic.twitter.com/w52a5NMb3D

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 1, 2025​

Mitchell Robinson​

On logging minutes in two games for the first time in nearly a year:

“It’s coming along. Just taking time. First game, as y’all saw, tired as hell. Second game, not so much. But still a little bit.

“That’s what’s going to happen when you miss 10 months playing ball.”

On his diving for loose balls:

“Get back to used what I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing that for a while. Not afraid to get down and dirty.

“Sometimes, you got to do it.”

On playing under a pitch count for now:

“It was 18 minutes for Friday’s game (but ended playing 12). I think each week it goes up more and more.

“It is [frustrating] because it’s hard to get a rhythm.”

On his return and smooth dunk in his first game back:

“You saw that, huh? It was smooth. I mean, that’s something we’ve been working on through the whole rehab process. I felt comfortable doing it.”

On his excitement to be back:

“I wasn’t nervous. But the urge to get back out there was there.”

Deuce McBride with an IMPOSSIBLE 3-pointer pic.twitter.com/hSEVkjDo2W

— Knicks Nation (@KnicksNationCP) March 2, 2025​

Miles McBride​

On what has helped him thrive this season:

“Obviously, you have to be on the court to showcase what you have. So I feel like I was being held back a little bit through those injuries. Just tough timing.

“Then, finding my rhythm on the court, ways I can contribute... It’s not always about scoring. It’s about making plays. So as long as I can showcase my abilities, I have a great chance of doing that.”

Spo: "That tip rebound. That was the game" pic.twitter.com/nCquWZTjCR

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 3, 2025​

Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat Head Coach)​

On Jalen Brunson’s impact on the game:

“He’s a tough guy to game-plan against because he’s so clever. And he’s relentless. And he’s not going to stop. If you happen to get a stop on him on any given possession, it’s not like the next possession he’s going to ease up at all. He has great stamina to do what he does.

“He’s second in the league in drives, second in the league in fouls drawn. You have to be pretty persistent to do that, especially for a player with his size.

“[Brunson] is a winning player, he’s (got) a winning personality.”

On the challenge of facing the Knicks:

“When you’re dealing with the Knicks, the thing you have to adjust to more than anything is they’re a great offensive team.

“They play with significant pace, not only in transition but in the halfcourt with good off-ball cutting that you have to keep awareness of throughout an entire possession.”

You can count the Heat jerseys on 1 hand

On 1 finger pic.twitter.com/2UDr4k5J4j

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 3, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...going-to-be-sore-but-hey-i-had-a-game-to-play

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks sign former Bucks first-rounder to two-way contract

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Maybe a little relief for Josh Hart off the bench.

Hark! The New York Knicks have bolstered their bench with an intriguing young talent. This evening, Shams Charania reported that MarJon Beauchamp has agreed to a two-way contract with the Knicks. The 6’7” forward, a first-round selection by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022, has split this season between the Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Free agent MarJon Beauchamp has agreed on a two-way NBA contract with the New York Knicks, his agents at Wasserman told ESPN. The 6-foot-7, 2022 Milwaukee first-round pick had spent the season with the Bucks and Clippers. pic.twitter.com/62mDysbuKU

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 3, 2025​

Born on October 12, 2000, in Seattle, Beauchamp’s journey to the NBA has been unconventional. He bypassed college to train with Chameleon BX, excelled at Yakima Valley College—averaging 31 points and 10 rebounds per game—and later joined the G League Ignite, where he posted averages of 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

After spending two seasons with Milwaukee, Beauchamp was traded to the Clippers during the 2024-25 season. To date, he has averaged 4.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in limited minutes. Known for his high-energy play, Beauchamp continues to develop his skills as he seeks to establish a more defined role in the league.

Welcome MarJon!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ormer-bucks-first-rounder-to-two-way-contract

 

[New York Knicks]

Game Preview: Knicks vs Warriors, March 4, 2025

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Knicks look to add another impressive win on their resume as they host a blazing hot Warriors team

4,388.

That’s the number of days since Steph Curry erupted for 54 points in a 109-105 loss at Madison Square Garden.

A lot has happened since then, but funnily enough, that was the last time before the current iteration of the Knicks, that fans had hopes and expectations of a potential playoff run.

The Warriors, though, are in a completely different situation. Unlike the 2012-13 version of the Warriors, who were young, on the comeup, and still had Klay Thompson, the 24-25 Warriors had the simple goal of just trying to extend what little time they had remaining with their aging core of Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green. With the aforementioned Thompson now in Dallas, Golden State started the season hot, going 12-3, but similar to this season’s Knicks, the Warriors have gone through their fair share of ups and downs.

Much like how the Knicks have followed up winning streaks with losing streaks, the Warriors had an incredibly rough stretch of their own and fell to 19-20. And while the Warriors’ front office had remained incredibly, and arguably overly, patient over the few seasons, they finally started feeling the pressure and spent much of the first few weeks of 2025 seeking trades to bolster their lineup. That move came in the shape of the Jimmy Butler trade, and since then, they’ve been a completely different team.

In the 10 games since acquiring the disgruntled star, the Warriors have gone 8-2. Their schedule over that stretch hasn’t been the most difficult, as they’ve got four of those eight wins against the Bulls, a depleted Mavericks team, and the Hornets twice. But they’ve reeled off impressive wins against the Bucks and Rockets during that span as well, thanks to their elite play on both sides of the ball. Since the Butler trade, the Warriors are third in defensive rating and fourth in offensive rating and are, along with the Cavaliers and Pistons, one of just three teams to be in the top five in both offensive and defensive ratings during that stretch. And they are first in the league in turnovers forced per game and first in the league in assists per game. Evident by their recent loss to the Sixers in which former Knick Quentin Grimes torched them for a career-high 44 points, though, this team is still beatable.

In the last 10 games, the Warriors have been good at limiting opponents’ three-point attempts, ranking sixth in the league, but they’re somehow worse than the Knicks at opponent three-point percentage and rank 23rd in that category. And they’ve also given up the 10th most free-throw attempts per game during that span.

Prediction​

The Warriors are among the hottest teams in the league and will be a tough test for the Knicks despite their mediocre 33-28 record. As noted above, they’ve been great on both sides of the ball, and the Knicks will have to be on top of their game to come away with a win. If the Knicks, who tend to do a good job of taking care of the ball, can limit their turnovers, capitalize on the three-point opportunities they get, and get to the free-throw line, they have a shot at coming away with another impressive victory.

Given the Knicks’ lack of resistance on defense, it could get ugly... but New York has shown the ability to win in multiple different ways, especially as of late. Expect OG Anunoby, who has been amazing over the last two games, to continue his hot streak, with Deuce McBride, who will be crucial in containing Curry, to play an important role.

Knicks win a close one, 120-115.

Game Details​

Teams: New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:30 PM ET

Broadcast: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/4/24377535/game-preview-knicks-vs-warriors-march-4-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Warriors 114, Knicks 102: “We need Bridges to step up.”

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Knicks collapse late as Steph Curry, Warriors steal win at MSG.

The New York Knicks (40-21), having won three straight, hosted the surging Golden State Warriors (34-28) at Madison Square Garden tonight. Despite missing Karl-Anthony Towns, the home team started strong, building a nine-point lead in the second quarter behind Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. They held Golden State to 22% shooting from deep in the first half and carried a 55-47 advantage into the break. But a sluggish start to the third quarter let the Warriors creep back, with Steph Curry shaking off a quiet first half to drop 14 in the period. Brunson and Anunoby kept the Knicks afloat with timely buckets, but New York ran out of gas late, surrendering an 8-0 run and committing costly turnovers in crunch time to fall by double digits. Final score, Warriors 114, Knicks 102.

Quoth jaknicamaz: “We had 25 points out tonight. We need Bridges to step up. Is it too much to ask for a 20+ performance? Where is he?” Fair point. Without KAT, the Knicks needed more offense from their wings. OG Anunoby answered the call with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 41 minutes. Bridges, however—who was benched in the fourth quarter and overtime on Sunday in Miami—managed just 15 points in 36 minutes. He showed some life in the third quarter but was mostly a non-factor otherwise.

Mikal’s -21 wasn’t the worst on the team, though; that distinction belonged to Josh Hart (-22). Hart took just eight shots, scored two points, and grabbed eight rebounds. Maybe he’s still battling a sore knee, but that kind of production with Towns sidelined is inexcusable. He was outscored by Mitchell Robinson! (Seven points, five boards in 16 minutes.)

Rounding out the starters, Brunson finished with 25 points and seven assists. For the Dubs, it was Steph Curry’s night: 28 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals, 10-of-21 from the field, and 5-of-9 from deep.

First Half​

Playing without Karl-Anthony Towns (personal reasons), the Knicks started Mitchell Robinson at center. Not Mitch, but back-up Precious Achiuwa would lead the team in first-half rebounds. But here’s the big fella with a bruising jam—and he made the subsequent free throw!

Mitch on Draymond's head!

That's what you get for ducking KFTV! pic.twitter.com/DUNTTDqtXq

— Knicks Fan TV (@KnicksFanTv) March 5, 2025​

The Warriors started the game with an 8-0 run, thanks to the Knicks coughing up the ball twice. New York answered with an 11-3 run that included four points from OG Anunoby.

The teams were evenly matched in rebounds, points in the paint, and fast break points. The Knicks struggled from deep, hitting just one of five attempts, but were spared by Golden State’s own shooting woes (3-of-12 from beyond the arc). Brandin Podziemski paced the Warriors with eight points. His backcourt mate Stephen Curry exited in the first quarter to have his knee wrapped, while Jalen Brunson led New York with nine early points.

A Landry Shamet jumper in the final seconds gave the home team a 26-25 edge at the buzzer. Nice dish by Brunson here, too:

Landry Shamet 3, assisted by Brunson pic.twitter.com/4HYhJ5DJdd

— Knicks Highlights (@KnicksClipss) March 5, 2025​

In Q2, the Knicks went ahead by nine, thanks to a 12-2 run in the second quarter. Curry returned at the eight-minute mark, but failed to make a notable impression on the game.

Try not to smile while watching Jalen Brunson turn Jimmy Butler into barbecued chicken.

Jalen Brunson is an ELITE shot maker pic.twitter.com/bbfWJuPIoX

— Knicks Fan TV (@KnicksFanTv) March 5, 2025​

Thanks to a 14-6 stretch, New York took a 55-47 lead into intermission. Anunoby, picking up where he left off in Miami on Sunday, scored an efficient 12 first-half points. Besides the sterling offense, he was an important component of a Knicks defense that held the Warriors to 5-of-24 (22%) shooting from deep. Jalen Brunson topped the team with 17 points, and Achiuwa gobbled up seven rebounds in 17 minutes. Podziemski was the only Warrior in double-digits, with 12 points.

Second Half​

After a leisurely halftime nap, the Knicks forgot to wake up for the third quarter. Golden State came out swinging with a 17-7 run, seizing a 64-62 lead. Steph Curry, who had just eight first-half points, collected 14 in the period. He and Butler, who threw down two dunks, traded blows with Brunson and Anunoby for a stretch. Right about now, though, the Knicks were feeling the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns’ scoring prowess.

OG Anunoby catch & shoot 3 pic.twitter.com/yDgHAvR0ad

— Knicks Highlights (@KnicksClipss) March 5, 2025​

Mikal Bridges had been quiet in the first half, but alongside Deuce McBride and Precious Achiuwa, he helped fuel an 8-0 run that briefly put the Knicks back on top. Unfortunately for them, a Buddy Hield three-pointer as time was running out put the visitors up 82-81.

Actually, Hield hadn’t shot well earlier, but he and Butler took turns carrying Golden State’s offense. Meanwhile, Anunoby was shooting like… well, Steph Curry. He drilled a three around the seven-minute mark to reach 28 points, but the Knicks were running out of gas at the worst possible time.

A Curry bomb followed by a fast-break score capped an 8-0 run, pushing New York’s deficit to 10 with three minutes left. Once again, Bridges faded from the offense, Anunoby lost his touch, and McBride checked in for Achiuwa around the two-minute mark—just a bit too late. Two Bridges turnovers in the final minutes turned into five quick points, and suddenly, the Knicks were staring at a 12-point hole with under a minute to go.

The whole arena knew it...

Steph Curry, SPLASH. pic.twitter.com/Pgv9Q9t2U9

— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025​

Up Next​

Our heroes cross the continent to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ors-114-knicks-102-we-need-bridges-to-step-up

 

[New York Knicks]

Who Really Wore the Orange and Blue Best? #7 Kenny Walker vs. #8 Latrell Sprewell

Antonio Losada

Sky vs. Spree

This week’s segment of Who Really Wore It Best pits Kenny “Sky” Walker against Latrell Sprewell. At this point, you might be wondering what happened to Melo? Well, back in December 2023, we made the executive decision to exclude Carmelo Anthony from the WWIB debate simply because what was the point of having a debate between Melo and anyone else who wore the number 7? It was a no contest. Instead, we aptly renamed the seventh part of the series Who Wore It Second Best?

When we first released that segment, we also ran a separate poll asking readers if Melo deserved to have his number retired by the Knicks.

The results were the closest split decision of any poll in the WWIB series. 51% of the 141 votes voted yes, while 49% said no. With Melo now bound for the Hall of Fame this year, it’s fair to wonder if the scale would tip further in his favor. So, just because we can, let’s run that vote back.

Antonio Losada

#7 Kenny “Sky” Walker — With no Melo to square up against, WWIB #7 matched up Walker with Dean Meminger, Al Harrington, and Channing Frye. It was a close call between Walker and Meminger, but ultimately Walker “walked” away with the victory, earning 38% of the 123 votes.

Walker was drafted fifth overall by the Knicks in the 1986 NBA Draft. As a rookie, Walker wore #34 before making the switch to the number that would become synonymous with him among Knicks fans, #7. After making the switch in 1989, Walker lived up to his nickname “Sky”, by becoming the first Knick in franchise history to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

#8 Latrell Sprewell — Who Wore it Best #8 was one of the deepest matchups of the entire series. It featured Spree, J.R. Smith, Danilo Gallinari, Walt Bellamy, and several stragglers. In total the poll had seven options to choose from. With the strong list to debate over, WWIB #8 was one of the most popular segments of the entire series, seeing a total of 306 votes! Given the strong field, WWIB #8 became one of the most popular segments of the series. I had no doubt Spree would come out on top, but I expected a tighter battle between him and J.R. To my own surprise, Bellamy edged out J.R. by a narrow 29-23 margin. Spree however dominated the entire poll earning 236 of the total votes, equivalent to 77% of your votes.

When the Knicks traded for Latrell Sprewell, sending fan-favorite John Starks the other way, the reaction was mixed. Losing Starks was tough as he had been the heart and soul of the team throughout the ‘90s, embodying the grit and passion of New York basketball. On top of that, Sprewell hadn’t played in over a year and carried one of the worst raps in NBA history. Many wondered if he’d be a distraction, especially under the relentless spotlight of the city’s unforgiving media.

Those doubts faded fast. From the moment Spree stepped onto the court, he won over the crowd and became a favorite, arguably the favorite, for many Knicks fans. Whatever the team lost in Starks, Sprewell more than made up for with his energy, intensity, and ability to deliver in big moments. Playing alongside Allan Houston and Marcus Camby, he helped the Knicks make history as the first No. 8 seed (couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?) to reach the NBA Finals, where he put up an impressive 26 points per game.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...lue-best-7-kenny-walker-vs-8-latrell-sprewell

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks get serious in Week 19 power rankings

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Pretenders or contenders, it seems like the Knicks are a surefire top-5 team.

The Knicks destroyed everybody on their path to the championship during the past week of play—until they didn’t.

New York slashed Philly, put Memphis to the sword, and dragged the Heat into a painfully delayed overtime death, but crumbled on Tuesday against the Warriors.

Good for the Knicks, however, is the fact that all power rankings released this week didn’t consider that loss except for ESPN’s, with all three factoring in the 3-0 record put together before that defeat.

Here’s a roundup of all the power rankings posted at different outlets through Tuesday’s matchups, capturing the national perception of the Knicks among the basketball elite.

Note: I have included a +/- next to each rank, with a minus sign (-) meaning dropping down and a plus sign (+) meaning climbing up X spots compared to last week’s position on that outlet.

NBA — No. 5 — New York Knicks (+1)​

John Schuhmann of NBA.com dropped the Knicks one spot last week, but he made up for that mistake by moving them up to where they were two weeks ago and where they belong.

The pundit considered New York’s three-win run, which is probably the reason behind the move up the board. Expect a fall or no move at all next week after Steph Curry conquered MSG for the nth time through his career. Sheesh.

“The Knicks rank 24th offensively (108.5 points scored per 100 possessions) since the All-Star break, having seen pretty big drops in free throw rate and offensive rebounding percentage. The offense has been a little better (113.0 scored per 100) over this three-game winning streak, but it might be a good thing that all three wins were somewhat ugly and that they had to get serious defensively, especially in the second half in Miami on Sunday.

"They’ve still played the third fewest clutch games, but the Knicks are now 16-7 (second best) in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. That includes a 5-0 mark in overtime after some more Jalen Brunson heroics in Miami. Despite the lack of clutch games, Brunson (who’s played in all 23) ranks second in total clutch points (132) and is now 8-for-11 on shots to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime. Those eight buckets lead the league, with three players tied for second with six each.

"Mitchell Robinson made his season debut on Friday, playing 26 total minutes on the Knicks’ two-game trip. All of that was in relief of Karl-Anthony Towns, so the two bigs weren’t on the floor together. Robinson had a nice block on a Tyler Herro drive on Sunday, but the Knicks’ defensive rebounding wasn’t great in those 26 minutes.” — John Schuhmann

No new teams in the top four with only the Cleveland Cavs experiencing a massive rise from No. 3 all the way up to No. 1.

The Athletic — No. 5 — New York Knicks (-1)​

Law Murray of The Athletic keeps everybody guessing with no rhyme nor reason to his ranking of the Knicks on a weekly basis.

Even though he only watched New York win, then win, then win once again, Murray thought the proper thing to do was to drop the Knicks a spot down his power rankings, placing them in fifth position... making way for the Los Angeles Lakers moving up from No. 6... to No. 3 on top of the Celtics. Yes, you read that right.

Murray highlighted the highest-stakes games remaining in each team’s schedule and pointed toward the clashes at Milwaukee (March 28) and against Boston (April 8) in the Knicks case.

“Mitchell Robinson is back, so we don’t have to keep wondering about that anymore. Jalen Brunson just earned East Player of the Week honors, and OG Anunoby’s game-winner at Memphis capped off one of the Knicks’ best road performances of the season. They haven’t played well against the Celtics, but they have a chance at passing them in the standings.” — Law Murray

Did I mention Lakers Exceptionalism? Luka Effect? Damn.

ESPN — No. 5 — New York Knicks (+1)​

The ESPN panel made an interesting change in this week’s edition of the PW, moving Denver down two spots to No. 6 while making room in those places for the Knicks and the super-rising Lakers.

New York climbed up one spot while Los Angeles moved up three, from No. 7 to No. 4 and into the circle of contenders thanks to the game-changing arrival of Luka Doncic before the deadline.

No particular topic of discussion covered this week, with the folks from ESPN noting the need for an improvement in New York’s defense if they want to make it deep into the playoff as soon as this spring.

“If the Knicks are going to find a way to compete with teams like Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City — three contenders they’ve gone 0-7 against — they must play better defense. That’s where the return of center Mitchell Robinson, who rejoined the lineup Friday after rehabbing his surgically repaired ankle all season, could be vital.

"In particular, it will be fascinating to watch how he looks alongside fellow big Karl-Anthony Towns, who has struggled when New York uses drop coverage against high-powered offenses.” — Chris Herring

The other team losing a top-5 spot in this week’s power ranking was the Memphis Grizzlies, which dropped from that position to the No. 7 occupied by the Lakers a week ago.

What are your thoughts on the ranks above? Where do you have the Knicks ranked after they split their first six games of the season? Drop your hot takes in the comments section below!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/5/24378252/knicks-get-serious-in-week-19-power-rankings

 

[New York Knicks]

Game Preview: Knicks at Lakers, March 6, 2025

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Struggling Knicks look to start their west coast road trip on the right foot, take on a rejuvenated and surging Lakers team

If you were to look at the Knicks’, and Lakers’ seasons before the first meeting between these two teams, the consensus likely would’ve been that the Knicks were in a much better position. Sure, they had struggled against the top teams in the league, going 0-4 against the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Thunder up to that point, but they were still 32-16, which was good for third in the east. They were coming off of a five-game game winning streak that included three consecutive double-digit victories against the Kings, Grizzlies, and the Nuggets. And they had two All-Star starters, were expecting Mitchell Robinson back, and had the opportunity to improve their roster during the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, the Lakers, who went into that matchup 27-19, suffered a loss to a struggling, and Joel Embiid and Paul George-less Sixers team two games prior, were fighting just to stay out of the play-in game.

But since then, the two teams have been on completely different trajectories. New York, who eventually lost that game to the Lakers, have gone just 8-5 since February 1st and come into tonight’s matchup hungry to avenge their ugly 114-102 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has won 12 games, while only losing two during that stretch, and as you may have heard, they traded for the recently turned 26-year-old generational superstar. Suffice it to say, things are looking pretty good for the Lakers, and their fans.

Prediction​

The Knicks have been quite mediocre for a while now. Since February, they rank just 15th in the league in offensive rating, 26th in defensive rating, and 21st in net rating, with an abysmal net rating of -5. During that stretch, their only losses have been to the Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers, and Warriors, who many would agree are among the hottest teams in the league. But it’s not just a case of the opponents playing great basketball. The Knicks have looked worse and worse offensively as the season has gone on, their defense is one of the worst in the league, and now, they’re dealing with potential injuries as OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Robinson are all questionable for tonight’s game. The Lakers have suffered notable losses to the rebuilding of the Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets within the last month, but they’ve started to look more and more like a well-oiled machine on its way to contention.

If the Knicks can keep Luka Doncic, and LeBron James at bay, and recapture some of their offensive magic, anything is possible. But with the Lakers, who are 24-7 at the crypto.com Arena, back home, it’s hard to see what has been an inconsistent and struggling Knicks team step up to the task. Jalen Brunson, and OG Anunoby, who have both been playing pretty well offensively will keep this game close, but the Lakers run away with this one late and take it 120-110.

Game Details​

Teams: New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers

Location: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Date and Time: Thursday, March 6, 2025, 10:00 PM ET

Broadcast: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/6/24379360/game-preview-knicks-at-lakers-march-6-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Lakers 113, Knicks 109 (OT): “And JB is hurt. Wonderful.”

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

A sloppy, bruising affair ends with a scary injury to the Captain.

Before tonight, the New York Knicks (40-22) had won all five overtime opportunities, and the Los Angeles Lakers (40-21) had won seven straight games. One of those streaks would come to an end tonight at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers started strong, but Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart fought back. By halftime, New York had flipped a nine-point deficit to lead by nine, thanks to OG Anunoby’s brilliant second quarter and L.A.’s follies. The Knicks held a slim lead until late, and, after a frantic finish and a missed buzzer-beater, went to overtime. In the extra period, Brunson rolled his ankle badly, the purple and gold capitalized at the line, and the Knicks lost in overtime for the first time this season, 113-109.

Quoth TheMrBadGuy: “And JB is hurt. Wonderful.” It stings to lose another one that should have been in hand with some competent game management; it hurts even worse to lose the Captain for the foreseeable future. Just at the start of a five-game road trip, too. Say your prayers, Knicks fans.

This is a NASTY looking ankle injury for Jalen Brunson. Likely a sprain. Would be shocked if he doesn’t miss some time. pic.twitter.com/zZxauBn4j5

— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) March 7, 2025​

Jalen finished with 39 points and 10 assists on 13-of-26 shooting. Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns had double-doubles, 18-10 and 12-14 respectively. KAT was a ghost late, though. OG finished with 20 points, but just seven in the second half. And Mikal Bridges scored six points in 43 minutes. Folks, come on.

For Los Angeles, Luka Doncic finished with 32 points, 12 assists, and seven boards. LeBron James had 31 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Read the rest in the box score, I’m going to bed.

First Half​

The Lakers enjoyed a 7-0 run in the first quarter to gain some distance. From there, New York pecked at the score, but L.A. would respond with a rebound and a Luka bucket to stay ahead. Poor shooting didn’t help our heroes. Both teams attempted eight three-pointers, but L.A. made three and New York just one. Brunson and Hart carried the load, combining to score all of New York’s first 17 points. Meanwhile, their cohorts shot 0-of-7.

gettin' birthday buckets️@joshhart pic.twitter.com/Bf5c7H5wrJ

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 7, 2025​

At times early on, Hart looked banged up against his former team, taking long pauses to steady himself during breaks in the action. The camera caught him telling coach Thibs, “I’m good.” He wasn’t lying. As the action progressed, Hart chased down loose balls and skied for rebounds with customary Josh aplomb. His BFF, Captain Clutch, canned a jumper as the clock expired to cut the Lakers’ lead, 31-27. Jalen led all scorers with 14 points so far. Laker Luka had 13.

Jalen Brunson is incredible pic.twitter.com/7lu0i1pjFo

— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) March 7, 2025​

To start the second period, Landry Shamet and Hart hit triples to give the Knicks their first lead. An 11-1 run had put them up 38-32. OG Anunoby, playing with a sprained thumb, shot perfectly to score 13 in the second and balance out the offensive attack. Not necessarily helping: Mikal Bridges, with four first-half points on 2-of-5 shooting.

Behold OG at his most brilliant, executing on both ends:

Clamps from The Dog ️ ️ ️ pic.twitter.com/FzcQiDtunP

— Knicks Fan TV (@KnicksFanTv) March 7, 2025​

With L.A. turning the ball over (nine times in the half) and going 0-of-8 from deep in the frame, New York pushed the pace and gained a 13-point lead. By intermission, they were ahead 60-51. Jalen Brunson had scored 16 points and six assists. For L.A., Austin Reaves had missed all six of his shot attempts. LeBron James had 16 points and Luka added 18. The latter collected a technical foul for chirping at the refs and continued to test their patience. Will he get tossed in the second half? Is the universe granting favors tonight?

Second Half​

Luka kept plowing toward a triple-double, while Brunson crept closer to a double-double of his own. LeBron continued to defy Father Time. Anunoby stayed locked in on defense, though his shot cooled. Reaves kept denting the rim with bricks.

The home team had turned it over 13 times by quarter’s end. A 7-0 run looked promising, but the Knicks closed out strong. After a Dalton Knecht buzzer-beater, New York headed into the final frame up 84-76.

The play became more bruising and sloppy as the game progressed. The refs didn’t seem to notice. With New York playing the Clippers tomorrow night, I fear that half the team will be on the injury report. In the final frame, they looked increasingly gassed. Bench support would have helped, Deuce McBride had logged 19 points and missed all four shots he had taken.

Three Luka assists hurt: the first was a Gabe Vincent corner three; the second was a Jaxson Hayes dunk; the third was a LeBron trey. After those buckets, the Knicks lead had slimmed to one point with 3:30 left.

Hart and Vincent traded three-pointers. Jalen Brunson made a shot despite getting stomped by Lebron, who then tied the game with a bomb.

jalen brunson; lebron jamespic.twitter.com/SH1Wgik8sy

— ◇ (@H00DH3R0) March 7, 2025​

Los Angeles went up by three with another Vincent corner shot, but Captain Clutch executed an And-1 to tie the game with 30 seconds left.

jalen brunson and-1pic.twitter.com/HeUCXmWxtb

— ◇ (@H00DH3R0) March 7, 2025​

LeBron and Dorian Finney-Smith missed on treys, and New York retrieved the ball with nine seconds to go. After a timeout, Jalen Brunson was heavily covered—as anyone could have predicted—but struggled to find anyone open. Finally, he dumped the ball to Hart, who couldn’t reach the rim in time. Bonus basketball!

Overtime​

To start the fifth period, Luka went at Karl-Anthony Towns to score, obviously, and then followed that with a trey. Brunson responded with four points, but Austin Reaves suddenly remembered how to shoot, drilling one from the corner. Jalen, responsible for all six of the Knicks’ points so far, rolled his ankle on an unsuccessful drive and was clearly in agony.

Eventually, he limped to the free-throw line, but could barely do so. The Captain made both freebies, then was subbed out with a quick foul.

Jaxson Hayes made two free throws. Towns committed a loose ball foul after a McBride miss, with the team in the penalty. Down by four with 40 seconds left, the Knicks played hot potato under the pressure of purple and gold defense. Anunoby finally chipped it in and had a chance for an And-1, but missed. LeBron grabbed the board, was fouled, and that was all she wrote.

Up Next​

The Knicks stay in L.A. for another night to face the Clippers tomorrow. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...rs-113-knicks-109-ot-and-jb-is-hurt-wonderful

 

[New York Knicks]

Game Preview: Knicks at Clippers, March 7, 2025

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks aim to get back on track tonight against LA, despite question marks around Brunson’s health

The last two games have been nothing but painful for the New York Knicks.

First, a home matchup with the Warriors ended in heartbreak. Despite being down only 94-93 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors cranked out an 11-0 run en route to an eight point victory. New York looked lost down the stretch, and as per usual, everyone not named Jalen Brunson couldn’t get anything going when it mattered most.

The whole arena knew it...

Steph Curry, SPLASH. pic.twitter.com/Pgv9Q9t2U9

— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025​

verall, it wasn’t a bad showing, but the Knicks ultimately faded down the stretch of a winnable game.

Last night’s matchup at Los Angeles fell into the same mold.

New York was up double digits (90-80) with just under seven minutes left in the game. The duo of Lebron and Luka were at arm’s length.

Instead, the Knicks offense fell flat, and it was Gabe Vincent of all people who stepped up, hitting three key triples down the stretch to propel the game into overtime.

Once again, in OT, Jalen Brunson was keeping the Knicks afloat. He had all eight points for the squad in extra time when this happened.

Jalen Brunson headed to the locker room after suffering a leg injury on this play

He stayed in to shoot his FT's pic.twitter.com/bw4jrE3Uhj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 7, 2025​

Brunson left the game. He’s expected to miss some time. And New York was outscored 6-2 in the final 90 seconds of the game without him, as Lebron and Luka did their thing down the stretch.

Things might not be much easier tonight against a Clippers squad fighting for a playoff spot in the West.

While they’re only 4-6 in their last 10 games, LA is still a force to be reckoned with. James Harden is fresh off of his first 50 point outing as a Clipper, Kawhi Leonard is getting back into game shape, and Ivica Zubac has begun to really emerge as a high-level center in the NBA.

When they take on the Knicks tonight, they’ll be without Norman Powell, their leading scorer. Norm is averaging 23.8 points per game on 49/42/82 shooting splits, and was nearly named an all star. The Clippers will miss him dearly.

Also sidelined is former number one overall pick Ben Simmons, hampered by a knee injury.

For New York, Ariel Hukporti is out, while Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, and Precious Achiuwa all remain game time decisions. Expect Robinson to appear, while Brunson and Achiuwa may both err on the side of caution. You never know with the Knicks, though… so it’s something to monitor.

Prediction​

The Knicks need to focus on getting healthy more than anything else.

The Clippers are hungrier, well rested, and have more defined roles. New York is beat up, tired, and on the second leg of a back to back. Take into account that Jalen Brunson is expected to miss the game tonight, and, well… you get the picture.

Give me the Clippers by 8 tonight.

I hope I’m wrong.

Don’t forget - it’s a late tip tonight. Get your naps in this afternoon. Go Knicks.

Game Details​

Date: Friday, March 7, 2025

Time: 10:30 PM ET

Venue: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

TV Broadcast: MSG

Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/7/24380246/game-preview-knicks-at-clippers-march-7-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Clippers 105, Knicks 95: “Ofc Batum is left wide open.”

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

Thibs will need to update his offensive playbook. And maybe the defensive, too.

After losing both a game and Jalen Brunson last night against the Lakers, the New York Knicks (40-23) returned to action tonight. This time they challenged the Los Angeles Clippers (34-29), who haven’t had a great season but do have a top-five defensive rating, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden. Pushovers? Not exactly, and not without the Captain.

The Knicks fought but fell short without Brunson. They clawed back to take the lead after an early hole, fueled by Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride, and Josh Hart. But the Clippers, led by Harden’s shot-making and Nic Batum’s infuriating accuracy, kept answering every Knicks run. Our heroes hung tough through three quarters, down just one heading into the fourth. Then the wheels came off. An inept offense that produced 17 fourth-quarter points doomed them. Final score, 105-95.

For Los Angeles, Harden and Leonard combined for 47 points and Ivica Zubac logged a 16-14 double-double.

Quoth Jaybugkit: “Ofc Batum is left wide open.” The Knicks’ defense was actually good for stretches tonight, but L.A. had wayyy too many open looks from the perimeter. They made 11-of-20 in the first half and cooled a bit to finish 15-of-38 overall. Batum drilled five of those.

For New York, Towns logged a 23-10 double-double but was a net negative in the fourth quarter when New York needed the most. Hart finished the night with a 14-point, 19-rebound double-double, but was reluctant to shoot when open and a turnstile on defense at times. McBride started tonight and made just two shots for seven points in his 34 minutes. OG Anunoby logged 11 points, eight boards, two steals, and a block, but shot 4-of-15 (2-of-8 from deep). Mikal Bridges actually drew a few fouls! And he reached 22 points . . . but that was due to empty buckets late.

When the Knicks needed someone to enliven the offense, either these guys were too tired or they lacked the confidence to do so. Landry Shamet seemed promising but played just 17 minutes . . . in a game without two rotational players (Brunson and Mitchell Robinson). C’mon, Thibs!

First Half​

Without Jalen Brunson, Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau started a line-up of Miles “Deuce” McBride, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

In a game of runs, the Clippers started by scoring nine unanswered and punishing the Knicks inside. New York missed shots and coughed up turnovers, looking rudderless without their Captain. Then Towns dunked, McBride drilled a three, Hart and Anunoby chipped in, and suddenly it was a game. A 12-2 run for our heroes!

OG ANUNO-THREEEEE pic.twitter.com/7X16malwjB

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 8, 2025​

Midway through the quarter, the teams traded blows. Nicolas Batum and James Harden kept L.A. ahead, but Hart wouldn’t let them pull away. Without his BFF, Josh was particularly energized, including an electrifying coast-to-coast score. He and Anunoby delivered big buckets late in the frame, forcing a Clippers timeout.

Without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks are going to need some time to become a competent half court offense, which makes Josh Hart's pace more important than ever.

Getting this off of a make is NUTSpic.twitter.com/2qWYGx2NON

— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) March 8, 2025​

The Knicks’ Landry Shamet gave Hart a breather around the two-minute mark and impacted the game immediately, picking James Harden’s pocket and getting to the foul line for two. After that, though, the Clippers closed the quarter with yet another run, 9-0, thanks to pesky play by Harden and a three-pointer by Derrick Jones, Jr. Home team ahead, 31-25.

this move is crazzzy Harden ‍ pic.twitter.com/omoFm609By

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 8, 2025​

New York exploded to start the second quarter with 12 unanswered points. Excellent defensive play led to offensive results. Towns drilled a deep three, Cameron Payne pushed the pace, and Precious Achiuwa threw down a dunk to keep the party pumping.

PRECIOUS ACHIUWA pic.twitter.com/VYFhAWrC1F

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 8, 2025​

Positive: Mikal Bridges drew fouls on THREE consecutive possessions. That is noteworthy because he had attempted free throws in just 28 out of 62 games this season. He scored eight of his ten first-half points in Q2. Negative: attempted only five shots in the half. That’s fewer attempts than Hart and McBride in a game without Jalen Brunson. Hand scratch head.

Mikal Bridges with the jumper over Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/uR3eZzH3qy

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 8, 2025​

The Clippers punched back, of course. Harden and Leonard hit tough jumpers, and Nicolas Batum rained threes. Turnovers crept in and the game got sloppy. Bridges lost the handle, Harden threw one away, and Zubac fumbled the rock out of bounds. With another terrible close to the quarter, New York allowed an 8-2 Clipper run to fall behind 60-54 by halftime.

In the half, New York scored 12 points off of L.A.’s eight turnovers, had won the boards 22-21, and shot 40% (6-of-15) from deep. Towns topped their scoresheet with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Clippers had shot a scorching 11-of-20 from downtown. Harden scored 19 points in 19 minutes. Batum must circle New York on the schedule because he seems to always bring his best against them. In the first half, he made all four of his three-point attempts to collect 14 points. Boo.

too smooth with it ‍ @mikal_bridges now has 10 points and counting pic.twitter.com/7HV5abb4WO

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 8, 2025​

Second Half​

Befitting of Tinseltown, everybody stuck to the script. The Knicks scored six, then the Clippers scored eight. Back-to-back triples from McBride and Towns made up for previous misses, and the team’s defensive lapses, to cut their deficit to three. Josh passed up on open threes, which is always frustrating.

cue "DEUUUUUCE!" on the road pic.twitter.com/011Dp8xcfM

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 8, 2025​

The Clippers kept pace. Kawhi hit tough mid-range shots and Harden bombed threes. Turnovers piled up for both sides: Bridges fumbled one, Anunoby got whistled for a charge, and Harden coughed it up (but bailed himself out with a step-back three).

Here’s Kawhi with an impressive drive that left Josh behind:

KAWHI WITH THE REVERSE pic.twitter.com/dY0WfJUxzo

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 8, 2025​

Late in the quarter, things got chippy and the refs tuned up their whistles. Thanks to an Anunoby And-1, the Knicks clawed within a point by the buzzer, 79-78.

To start the fourth, New York relied too heavily on Cam Payne and was outscored 15-7. That put them behind by nine by midway through the period. They allowed more wide-open three-point attempts, no kidding. KAT sat through the first six minutes, and when he did return, he missed multiple shots, committed multiple fouls, and was out-hustled twice by Bogdan Bogdanovic for rebounds. It wasn’t a pretty stretch for the big fella.

Why is Batum an All-Star when he plays New York?

Record de saison explosé et plus gros temps de jeu de la saison, mais en fin de match Nico Batum (36 ANS) trouve encore l'énergie pour bâcher pic.twitter.com/FjWkvUuSXi

— Tom Compayrot (@Tom_Cprt) March 8, 2025​

Without Jalen to play the hero in the final frame, and their coach bereft of ideas for producing points, the Knicks employed a stand-around strategy that yielded predictable results. Mikal Bridges managed to tack on a few stat-padding points in crunch time. Last night, the Knicks scraped up just 15 points in the fourth quarter; tonight, they reached 17. Knicks basketball might be ugly for a while, friends and neighbors.

Up Next​

The Knicks mosey up to Sacramento to see how the Kings are doing on Monday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ers-105-knicks-95-ofc-batum-is-left-wide-open

 

[New York Knicks]

Game Thread: Knicks at Clippers, March 7, 2025

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Friday night Knicks. Minus the Captain.

The New York Knicks (40-22) have not faced Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers (33-29) since December 16, 2023. Their starting lineup that night: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Jericho Sims. Consider that for a moment.

Tonight marks the Knicks’ first visit to the Clips’ new abode, the Intuit Dome. The home team has a checkered recent past, winning just four of ten, but don’t count them out. They have a top-five defensive rating, and New York will be playing without Captain Brunson, who injured his ankle in overtime last night against the Lakers.

Game time is 10:30 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Clips Nation. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Pick up after yourselves and be good humans. Go Knicks.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/7/24379917/game-thread-knicks-at-clippers-march-7-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Report: Knicks to sign P.J. Tucker to 10-Day Contract

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

The final roster spot is temporarily filled with an enforcer.

For months, the fanbase has been pondering who the Knicks would fill their vacant 15th roster spot with. The Knicks were allowed to sign a player to a rest-of-season deal starting on February 28th but elected not to.

After mixing up their two-ways by cutting Jacob Toppin and Matt Ryan for Anton Watson and MarJon Beauchamp, the Knicks finally filled their roster for the first time this season on Saturday with their signing of P.J. Tucker, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Free agent PJ Tucker plans to sign with the New York Knicks on a 10-day contract, sources tell ESPN. The 14-year NBA veteran held discussions with multiple teams over the last week. Tucker, a 2021 NBA champion with the Bucks, gives the Knicks an enforcer and frontcourt depth. pic.twitter.com/rDR8A7LqEg

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 8, 2025​

Many possibilities for this roster spot were discussed across multiple platforms by analysts, reporters, and fans, but P.J. Tucker came out of left field.

Tucker, who turns 40 on May 5, was on an NBA roster the entire season until he was waived by the Toronto Raptors on the 28th to be eligible to be signed by a playoff team. Despite that, Tucker has not played a single second this season with either the Clippers or Raptors.

The reason? Tucker has been rostered but not with the teams he’s been on. He left the Clippers during the preseason due to frustration about his role and never joined the Raptors after being traded for salary matching. In a span of a few days last month, he was tossed around several different teams before finally finding a “home” after a five-team trade was finalized.

Tucker was drafted 35th overall in 2006 by the Raptors, but played just 17 games as a rookie before going overseas, eventually resurfacing with the Suns in 2011. With career averages of 6.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, he’s never been one to put the ball in the basket.

Tucker averaged 1.3 steals a game over a six-season span in the mid-2010s, where he received a downballot Defensive Player of the Year vote in 2014 with Phoenix before bouncing around, eventually becoming the infamous small-ball five in Houston with the Harden-era Rockets.

Since the bubble, he’s played valuable minutes on various contenders before splitting last season with the Sixers and Clippers and averaging just 15 minutes a night, his lowest since he re-joined the NBA in 2012.

One strength of his on the floor is his perimeter shooting. Tucker is a career 36.6% shooter from deep, including shooting over 40% over the past three seasons. Another one is his always fiesty defense, which could be valuable to a Knicks team that lacks wing depth.

However, with the fact he hasn’t played in ten months, his value may be more in the locker room.

If you asked 100 NBA fans about P.J. Tucker in 2025, almost all of them would mention that he’s a goon, an enforcer, and a locker room vet.

A frequent complaint of this Knicks team is the lack of an edge or certain physicality. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have been criticized as soft and we all remember the odd public response to Trae Young’s dice roll back in December. With an upcoming game against Draymond Green and the Warriors after some gross accusations on Green’s podcast, you might want to bring some popcorn to wherever you watch that game.

Tucker is a grizzled old veteran who has always had the mentality of not taking sh*t from anyone. On a Knicks team whose oldest player is Cameron Payne, this archetype of player could help more behind the scenes. He also has 104 games and 90 starts in the playoffs under his belt.

Oh yeah, he’s also quite the sneakerhead.

Financially, this doesn’t stop the Knicks from making a signing of a player with more on-court value down the road.

A 10-day contract costs about $120,000 in terms of the cap hit, but Tucker will make nearly $190,000.

Because of that, the Knicks now sit $420,000 beneath the hard-capped second apron. If Tucker’s 10-day expires and they wish to sign a replacement, they are permitted to immediately. However, if they wanted to keep him and waived someone else to make another signing, they would need to wait until early April to do so.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-knicks-to-sign-p-j-tucker-to-10-day-contract

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘We’re humans’

Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images

No more games in Los Angeles until the Finals.

It’s been a minute since the last Knicks Bulletin, so here’s a double dose of it, wrapping up the weekend and the awful Los Angeles trip.

New York (hopefully) has moved on as they keep their West Coast rodeo going, next destination Sacramento for a matchup against the Kings before two more games are played away from MSG.

Here’s the latest from Coach Thibs and a couple of other Knickerbockers.

Tom Thibodeau​

On the impossibility of adjusting so quickly to Jalen Brunson's absence:

“It’s a quick turn-around [since Brunson’s injury]. You come in, you have a walkthrough in the ballroom, and then we have to adjust and adapt quickly.

"We have more than enough, and we have to find a way to get it done.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ shooting struggles:

“He’s still finding his rhythm.

“He had time off. So we gotta get him into rhythm. We’ve gotta work at that.”

On the loss to the Clippers on Friday:

“They’re a very good defensive team. Hard-fought game. Came up short in the end. We went in saying if the defense and the rebounding [were good] and the turnovers were down, we’d have a chance to win, and I thought we were in position to win tonight. And we fell short in the end.”

On Towns’ shot selection late in games:

“Guys want to win. So sometimes [late-game shot selection] can be misguided: you’re trying to do it like you want to win so bad, and you have to do it within the context of the framework of the team. But he’s a gifted offensive player and I’m not gonna measure every shot that he takes.

"If he thinks it’s open, I want him to be aggressive, and I want him to attack. He had time off, and now he’s gotta get in rhythm. He’ll get in rhythm. We know how good he is.”

On playing without Brunson:

“Everyone has to step up. The thing is, you’re not replacing Jalen individually. You’re doing that collectively. So how? Everyone’s capable of playing great defense. Everyone’s capable of rebounding the ball well. Everyone’s capable of taking care of the ball.

"So if you defend, you rebound and you keep your turnovers down, you’re going to be in position to win. And then you have to make things happen at the end of the game. That’s what we’re striving for.

"The margin of error is smaller.”

On Brunson’s potential return:

“He’s as tough-minded as they come. Whatever he has to do to get back on the court, he’ll be working at it around-the-clock I know that.”

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On the Knicks needing to step up in Brunson’s absence:

“A huge part of our team is missing. So next man up. We’ve gotta be better, and we’ve gotta figure it out quick. We’ve all gotta step it up a level.”

On dealing with personal loss:

“For me it was a little tougher having to open old wounds up to be there for her kids who lost their mother. I know how that is. Two boys losing their mothers, I know the feeling. So to open my old wounds to support them and help them through that process, it’s a lot.”

On returning to the court after time away:

“Just knock the rust off and get back to the game. I was in a better head space today than I was yesterday so basketball has been therapeutic for me. It’s good to be out there. Just get some shots up and getting back into that rhythm. It’s honestly just getting some reps. Obviously missed some time for family reasons and haven’t been able to touch a basketball so it was good to get back out there and get some shots up.”

Josh Hart​

On the Knicks’ struggles defending the three:

“I think it’s a little bit of [luck and our defense]. Honestly, we’re going to get people’s best shots. But we’ve got to make sure we start the game off well, physical, into the ball, and not let them get into a rhythm.

"No matter who it is when teams are in a rhythm, it’s tough to stop. We have to make sure we come out aggressive, come out contesting shots. And making them miss.”

On whether he felt the Clippers shot well:

“Nah, what did they shoot today?

“I didn’t think they shot that well. I guess that answers your question.”

On the challenge of adjusting offensively without Brunson:

“It will be an adjustment. This was on a back-to-back with no practice, not much time or film or walking through and all that. So it’s going to take a little bit of an adjustment to the offense, especially in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter is a different animal.

"So it’s going to take a minute. But that’s what happens when your main guy goes down. But I’m happy with how we competed (Friday). Now we just got to find different ways to get the offense clicking.”

On supporting Towns through personal struggles:

“It’s tough. A lot of you guys forget we’re humans. Or you guys look at us like we’re animals in a petting zoo or a parlay and y’all forget that we’re actual people, that we have real-life problems and traumas and things like that that we have to navigate.”

On standing by Towns despite outside noise:

“We give him a lot of credit, we’re there for him, and I think everyone has to keep that in mind when they see things. People say stupid things when they don’t understand and… We’re humans.”

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/9/24381374/knicks-bulletin-were-humans

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘How dope is that shit? It’s dope as hell’

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

It’s time for the Knicks to right their wrongs, and in order to do that, they will need to win on the road after failing to do so twice in as many games.

New York moves to Sacramento for a matchup against the Kings on Monday, which falls right in the middle of their ongoing five-game road trip across the West Coast.

Here’s the latest from Coach Thibs and a couple of other Knickerbockers.

Tom Thibodeau​

On having Patrick Ewing’s experience around the team:

“Patrick has all kinds of experience. Having played in New York, I think understanding New York, and winning at a very high level. Unfortunately, he didn’t win a championship, but he’s a championship player, I saw what he did every day. To carry a franchise the way he did for 15 years, it says a lot about him.”

On Josh Hart’s role in handling the ball:

“Josh handling allows us to move Jalen off the ball at times. It’s a different point of attack for us. Guys get used to off the dribble and now you’ve got to do catch and shoot. Then there’s pace involved and then oftentimes as a five goes onto Josh, [he] has a great speed advantage. We can take advantage of that as well. Having that versatility, we had that before when we had Derrick [Rose] and [Immanuel] Quickley. We’ve always been interchangeable with our second unit. And I think that when you have multiple guys that can run pick and roll and get to a second pick and roll that puts even more pressure on the defense. Deuce fits into that perfectly. He’s got a great wingspan, so he plays a lot bigger than his actual size.”

On team need for roster-wide leadership and toughness:

“It’s more what your actions are. That’s what we need. We need a team full of leaders. I think being mentally tough as a team, you want a group of leaders, a team of leaders. It’s not any one particular guy. It falls on the entire team. I’ve always been a big believer in that.”

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On learning from Patrick Ewing:

“How dope is that s—? It’s dope as hell. The blessing and the fact that I can say that I was on a bus with Patrick Ewing and going to games and we talk a bunch and to be around a legend like that. You always learn a little bit here and then you ask him for that help and he’s been in the situations, especially here in New York. So his wisdom is priceless and his game is obviously on a Hall of Fame level. So getting a chance to sit with him, talk with him about basketball, about what I can do to be better from my spot, is awesome.”

On P.J. Tucker potentially joining the Knicks:

“Any time you can get a vet, and at one point I can remember how deadly he was at the corner 3s, No. 1 in the league, the idea sounds great.”

On McBride stepping into a larger role with Jalen Brunson out:

“For us, we have to maximize what he does best, his strengths. Today was a good practice for us to integrate him into a part of the offense and then see what we can do to utilize him as best as possible.”

On Draymond Green’s comments:

“I choose to approach that with love and not hate. That’s all I really care about. I hope no one has to go through what I went through and those kids — and what those kids had to go through. Losing a parent is tough.”

Miles McBride​

On adjusting to a bigger role in the offense:

“It helps a ton obviously. You never want a guy to go down. And having a back-to-back is tough. Still shocked from just the loss the night before, the loss of a player going down like that. Being able to get a practice, get chemistry with guys, is always good. I feel like I don’t think my job has to change too much. I’m going to be aggressive and look to score, but understanding we have a lot of great scorers out there and I need to be able to get those guys going first. That’s going to be my job.”

On the team’s perceived lack of toughness:

“I think our team right now is pretty tough. Throughout the whole season we’ve had some great wins, some tough fight-it-out wins, and we got stops when we needed to get stops. Anybody that adds to it is going to be great.”

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...lletin-how-dope-is-that-shit-its-dope-as-hell

 

[New York Knicks]

P&T March mailbag invite

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

19 games left until the playoffs

It’s fitting, the Knicks reaching their most challenging point of the season in March. March is the most volatile of months, said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb; after a dominant October through February the Knicks are 1-3 this month and play five of their next six on the road. It hasn’t exactly been the MGM roar from the MSG cats of late.

Jalen Brunson is out a while with an ankle sprain, and if he does show up for the playoffs and doesn’t look like himself — the way Julius Randle hurt his ankle two years ago, came back early for the playoffs, struggled, hurt the ankle again and came back anyway — maybe focus more on what he did that he could and not what he didn’t that he couldn’t. Maybe don’t dump on the guy if he struggles, which he’s likely to. Some of you are thinking “Well Brunson’s got helluva lot more capital with Knicks fans than Randle did,” a sure sign some of you are either young to have seen or too old to remember Patrick Ewing hearing boos at the Garden. Or Mariano Rivera at Yankee Stadium. Just don’t be dumb.

Instead, be creative! Be expressive! Shoot me a mailbag question or comment! The last time I posted an invite I got exactly zero responses, so honestly if you have anything in mind, do share — odds are it’ll be selected. Maybe with the captain absent and minutes theoretically available you’ve got Delon Wright/MarJon Beauchamp/Anton Watson on the brain. Maybe you, like me, think starting Deuce McBride worsens the starters and the bench. Maybe you think Cam Payne should start. Or go double-big with Mitch and KAT and trust Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges are unselfish enough to approximate running the offense. Or you’re ready to risk it all on Tyler Kolek, or tap the buyout market for Reggie Jackson. Do share.

How many teams do you think can realistically win the East? The West? The title? Are there any teams you’re wishing a particularly pleasant end-of-year to? Or a nasty one? I have some in mind — what about you? If the Knicks lose in five games in the second round to Boston, do you consider the season a failure? A success? Something else?

What’s on your mind? Let’s discuss.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/10/24382404/p-t-march-mailbag-invite

 

[New York Knicks]

The formula to life without Jalen Brunson was on display in Sacramento

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

A much-needed win on Monday showed how the Knicks can stay afloat as their captain recovers.

Boy, they really needed that one.

The Knicks ' vibes were falling apart. After recovering well after the back-to-back blowout defeats to contenders, the vibe meter crashed harder than the stock market following the one-two punch of Jalen Brunson’s ankle injury and a blown double-digit lead to the Lakers on Thursday. Add in the uninspiring defeat at the Intuit Dome the next night, and the Knicks had lost three straight while ankle-deep into their annual West Coast trip. A loss in Sacramento would mark the franchise’s first four-game skid since February 2024.

Thankfully, the JB-less Knicks got a shorthanded Kings team on a back-to-back for their first double-digit win since February 11 and their first true blowout since January. The enjoyable, stress-free affair saw a career-high assist total for OG Anunoby and Josh Hart’s first 4+ 3PM effort since the New Year.

A full team effort like the one we saw last night is what’s needed nightly while Brunson is on the shelf. With his re-evaluation coming later this month, it’s fair to assume the Knicks will not see their captain until April. Because of that, they’re going to need to learn how to live without him. I was optimistic that the two days off would give them enough time to figure out the roles after they looked lost against the Clippers, and they showed the blueprint for success without Brunson.

Space the Floor​

This is a common fact of life, but Jalen Brunson has masked spacing concerns in the past by being able to score from every piece of hardwood. The fact of the matter is that any Knicks lineup involving Josh Hart and a non-KAT center has been a negative for the Knicks in 2024-25.

In a positive development, the disastrous Hart-Achiuwa lineup was not used last night. However, the Hart-Robinson lineup played 13 minutes and had a +72 net rating. Wait, what? How does that work?

How that works is that Josh Hart solved the spacing concerns by doing something the fans (and his teammates) have been begging him to do for months.

Let. It. Rip.

The reason why Hart is a spacing killer is that his reluctance to shoot the 3 makes teams sag off of him and clog the paint. If one of your perimeter players can’t shoot, it makes everyone’s life harder.

Although the numbers don’t really back it up for Josh, it’s common sense that just catching and firing is a lot better than doing whatever else Hart likes to do before shooting. Three of his four triples were catch-&-shoot last night and it disrupted Sacramento’s defense, eventually forcing them to stop sagging.

Hart’s reluctance to shoot and poor shooting overall has been a big reason for the Knicks’ recent offensive slump. Before the all-star break, they were second in offensive rating. Since, they sit 28th. Hart was shooting just 22.2% from three on 2.6 attempts, compared to 33.7% on 3.3 attempts prior.

If Hart is confident and making his shots, all but one of the Brunson-less rotation will be a threat from deep, with the only one being a defensive anchor in the middle in Mitchell Robinson. That’ll be key to keeping up the offense.

Deuce Making Shots​

Does some of this sound obvious? Sure.

Does it make it any less true? Absolutely not.

A lot of times, the Knicks’ fate is solely determined by whether their usual sixth man can make shots.

In wins this season, McBride is shooting 43.3% from deep.

In losses, he’s shooting just 24.7%.

Most nights, he’s a vast majority of their already shallow bench scoring. Without Brunson, he’s the starting point guard and his role is drastically increased.

It’s been a disappointing season all around for McBride, who’s shooting under 37% from the perimeter after a breakout 2023-24 off the bench. He was alarmingly bad on offense against the Clippers, going 2-for-13 and 2-for-9 from three.

Against the Kings, Deuce shot 7-for-11 from the field and 4-5 from 3. As is the case with him, you can tell whether he’s on or not from his first shot attempt.

Frankly, it’s not a great shot, but when Deuce makes it, you just know he’s gonna hoop that night.

We all know the story with Deuce. He lacks the playmaking and shot creation that many guards need in this league to succeed. He’s been great in a 3-and-D role since becoming a regular but when the shot isn’t falling things get ugly.

Although he’s the de facto point guard, playmaking duties will be distributed across the roster. To get the best out of Deuce, he needs to be getting looks like these to get in a groove that can carry the team through offensive ruts:

Share The Rock​

Jalen Brunson is the team’s leader on the basketball court. He’s the best playmaker and is the engine of the offense. Without him, there’s a vacuum.

While he leads the team in assists and is always the one making the feed to a shooter, Brunson is also the killer of ball movement.

The Knicks aren’t a heavy iso squad, with an isolation frequency of just 7.6%. However, Jalen Brunson is one of the leading isolationists in the league. While he averages over four per game with a ISO% of nearly 18%, only KAT is even close on the team with 2.2 per game and a 10.6 ISO%.

I can’t access whether isolations are down in the last two games but that’s fair to assume. The Knicks were incredible with their ball movement in Sacramento, dishing out 34 assists on 45 makes, their third-most assists since the New Year. Their 75.6 Assist% last night was one of their higher marks of the season and well above their season average of 62.5%.

Without an alpha on the roster, the Knicks can maximize the offense with their ball movement. They had several incredible sequences against the Kings that display what happens when you move the ball on a team of shooters.

With Sabonis out, KAT had a mismatch when Jonas Valanciunas sat. When the Kings collapsed to make up for it, it leads to an open look. Hart and KAT are willing playmakers, but Anunoby and Bridges can get this to another level. Wingstop combined for 15 assists last night, including a career-high 8 in an ultimate stat-stuffer line for Anunoby.

If these two can find a playmaking leap in this stretch, it can transform this offense now and in the future.

Defense, Defense, Defense​

Deuce McBride, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson.

The best guard, wing, and big defenders on the team combined for 11 steals yesterday.

They get it done in different ways. Anunoby is a deflection maestro, McBride’s on-ball defense is the definition of pesky, and Robinson uses his long arms to protect the rim and clog passing lanes.

Moreso, they’re willing to do the dirty work on a team built to maximize offense.

Anunoby gets his steals in many ways. He can do it by being a ferocious on-ball defender, jumping in passing lanes, or as a help defender.

Mitchell Robinson is a bad man defensively.

He’s not only great at defending deep into the post, but he always seems to be in the right place at the right time to disrupt play.

Deuce does the same thing. He just never gives up on a play defensively.

However, it wasn’t just these three. The Knicks played great team defense all night. With offrensive dynamos like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk roaming the floor, the Knicks could easily fall into bad habits and be barraged from deep.

Excellent communication, switches, and closeouts prevented the Kings from ever getting into an offensive groove. While the other points may only be applicable without Brunson, the level of commitment they showed defensively as a team is something that can be maintained.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ut-jalen-brunson-was-on-display-in-sacramento

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘I’m just a realist. And I want to win’

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

What if PJ Tucker was the final, missing piece of the Championship Knicks?

The Knicks didn’t fall for the fourth time in a row, instead destroying the Kings in Sacramento with a final result of 133-104.

New York will try to turn this into three consecutive road wins as they wrap up their West Coast trip with visits to Portland on Wednesday and Golden State on Saturday as they kickstart the PJ Tucker era.

Here’s the latest from Coach Thibs and a few other Knickerbockers as they spoke before and after yesterday’s trouncing.

PJ TUCKER CHANGED EVERYTHING

"SHOOT THAT MOTHA FUC*A" pic.twitter.com/FRHt2LYACm

— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) March 11, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On filling the void left by Jalen Brunson:

“The challenge is you’re not going to replace Jalen individually. We understand that. We have to do it collectively.”

On P.J. Tucker’s role:

“Just veteran leadership. Basically, the type of role Taj had when he came in. And then if there’s a need, he’s got the experience to handle it.”

On his confidence in McBride stepping up:

“Deuce can do it. I’ve seen him have huge games there. So I have a lot of confidence in his ability.”

Q: "3 straight games now where you guys held opponents to the low 40s shooting. What are you seeing on the defensive end?"

Josh Hart: "JB's not out there " pic.twitter.com/99223YJxBQ

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On adjusting to a different role in the offense:

“Probably more so to play through me or put me in actions. It’s something that I’m comfortable with … did pick-and-rolls with [Jalen Brunson] and those kind of things. So I’m comfortable with it.

“Other thing is, just playing faster, making whoever that center is guard and move. Whether that’s transition, dribble handoffs, having me handle on pick-and-rolls because obviously centers, I don’t think they ever guarded a pick-and-roll while really guarding the ball handler.

Other stuff like that, to make them move. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

On bouncing back against the Kings:

“Obviously we had three losses in a row, obviously we didn’t [have Brunson], so it felt good to have a game like this. You need games like this to up guys’ confidence and have guys feeling good.”

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On OG Anunoby’s sense of humor:

“He’s just funny, like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ funny.”

On P.J. Tucker joining the Knicks:

“Any time you can get a vet, and at one point I can remember how deadly he was at the corner 3s, No. 1 in the league, the idea sounds great.”

On adjusting to defensive matchups:

“If you’re going to put an undersized player on me, you get a chance to put me in the mid-post, the low post. And I think that’s probably best.”

On the Knicks’ struggles with their defensive alignments on mismatches and rotations:

“I think we could do a better job everywhere. We can be sharper all around. We just got to get both sides to match up with each other. I think the last game we did a good job on defense, and we just didn’t have the offense to go with it. The funny thing is the offense has carried us all year and the time we needed the offense to be just a little there, we couldn’t get it there.

“So these are good tests for us to see how we can win in different ways. I think a lot of times, we’ve won close games because of our offense and not really our defense. And now we have a chance, we put ourselves in these games against great opponents where our defense stood up but our offense didn’t show up.

“So we need to find different ways to win because when it comes that time at the end of the year, it may not always be us scoring 120, 130 points. It’s going to sometimes be 90, 80-something for the Knicks. So this is a good test for us.”

On the team’s performance against the Kings:

“I mean, it’s good when you could go out there and show better, a great version of y’all selves. I thought we did a great job of moving the ball, high assist game, playing as a team. The defense stayed for the last two games. Just continue to put the building blocks together.”

Miles McBride​

On OG Anunoby starting their pregame handshake routine:

“Who do you think? It was OG being OG. He said let’s do the robot. I said, ‘Alright. Let’s do it.’”

On the Knicks’ toughness:

“I think our team right now is pretty tough. Throughout the whole season we’ve had some great wins, some tough fight-it-out wins, and we got stops when we needed to get stops. Anybody that adds to it is going to be great.”

On adjusting to a bigger role with Brunson out:

“It helps a ton obviously. You never want a guy to go down. And having a back-to-back is tough. Still shocked from just the loss the night before, the loss of a player going down like that. Being able to get a practice, get chemistry with guys, is always good.

“I feel like I don’t think my job has to change too much. I’m going to be aggressive and look to score, but understanding we have a lot of great scorers out there and I need to be able to get those guys going first. That’s going to be my job.”

ICYMI

Knicks sign @pjtucker.@duglust X @realblack14 #newyorkforever pic.twitter.com/4QWkMZ0Kka

— doug b, Knicks Metal Recaps Guy (@duglust) March 10, 2025​

P.J. Tucker​

On joining the Knicks:

“It was a process. But I wanted to go somewhere that I could be me, where I could continue to get better even 20 years in. Be with a group of really good young guys and vets that are trying to achieve something. And they got a chance to do it. So [I’m] just here to help any way I can.

“It was interesting. Because I was like, I’ve never been on a 10-day before. It’s different. But I was willing to do whatever I could to be able to be on this team. I’ve kind of done it all already, so for me, it’s not a big deal. I’m cool with earning my stripes.”

On his reputation as a tough, vocal leader:

“I don’t know if it’s about being a tough guy or like that. I get it. That’s how people think. But I’m just a realist. And I want to win. I don’t know another way to put it.

“I guess my reputation over the years of being tough on the court and kind of being vocal a little bit. Yeah, but that’s all a part of just winning for me. It’s actually easy [to make a vocal impact]. Like right now before I came to talk to you guys, we were sitting on the court talking to guys, talking about the situation that’s going to happen tonight, what the team needs, how we can get better, what we need to do.

“And so it’s funny how they kind of just come to you, gravitate to you, being that voice of reason.”

On staying sharp despite missing time:

“I think the last time I played was the playoffs last year. So just been working, man. Just working, trying to stay in the best shape I can. And look forward to working and getting better, helping this team out any way that I can.

“It was tough. It was the first time I wasn’t playing. After all those years of not missing a game to sitting out pretty much three-quarters of the season was tough, really hard. Mentally staying sharp, watching games, trying to stay relevant, see what guys are doing … It was a tough little road, but I’m glad I experienced it. It gave me a different viewpoint.”

On encouraging teammates through slumps:

“I’ve been there. I know how it goes. It’s a long, long season. And when you’re in it, when you’re shooting bad, when it’s just not going right, you just need guys behind you to tell you those are good shots.

“Tell you to keep working. Keep doing this, keep doing that. Staying in that positivity. You need that. And a lot of times when you become a vet and be in the league, like young guys and stuff on the bench, they’re not going to do that. They’re not going to have your back like that.

“So it’s always good to have vets and like-minded guys that just have each other’s back. And that’s what really makes a team strong — just knowing that they have people there and I support you whether you’re playing good or bad. We’re in it together.”

OG Anunoby on his career high 8 assists in a @nyknicks blowout win and getting back on track #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/W88loM8zPC

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 11, 2025​

OG Anunoby​

On his baseball fandom:

“I collected baseball cards. I watch it all the time.

“I stopped playing in grade nine. I played center field, pitcher and shortstop.”

On his favorite baseball players growing up and becoming a Mets fan:

“I listed Carlos Delgado as one of my favorites to watch. I also liked José Reyes, Pedro Martínez and, essentially, the entire Mets roster of the late 2000s.”

On rewatching the whole ‘Prison Break’ because he missed just the first freaking episode:

“I re-started and watched the beginning. Now, I’m back on season 2. It’s really good.”

On learning from Alex Caruso’s defense:

“I like players who play hard on defense, so I’ll watch Alex Caruso and the stuff he’s doing — the active hands and aggressiveness. If he’s doing this, I can do that, too.”

Malik Monk: "They just punked us tonight"

Doug Christie: "They didn't feel us at all"

Jonas Valanciunas: "It was embarrassing"

Knicks beat Kings 133-104 pic.twitter.com/aT436SgDYn

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-bulletin-im-just-a-realist-and-i-want-to-win

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘Chipotle after a good win’

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

Josh knows.

The Knicks enjoyed a day off on Tuesday as they prepare to face the Blazers, keeping their West Coast trip going with this and one more game after it—against the Warriors—before they can return home.

New York is still waiting for Brunson to heal so Cap’n Crunch can take the reins of the squad on their way to winning their first championship in 52 years.

Here’s the latest from Coach Thibs and some Knicks as they land at PDX.

"Why is he still in" pic.twitter.com/Mo2nGnGOBh

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On the team-wide effort on Monday leading to a win in Jalen Brunson’s absence:

“Just overall defensive activity. I think being tied together, and they’re a hard team to guard, you got to fly around. You got to make a second, third effort. And when you do that, for us, that’s got to be our way.

“We’re not replacing Jalen individually. We can’t but we can do it as a collective. If we play like that, we have a chance.”

On OG Anunoby’s impact against the Kings:

“He had great energy. A lot of spirited plays. He was everywhere.”

Happy Holi Knicks fans pic.twitter.com/useLfULPzp

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On the Knicks’ win over the Kings:

“It’s good when you could go out there and show better—a great version of y’all selves.

“I thought we did a great job of moving the ball, high assist game, playing as a team. The defense stayed for the last two games. Just continue to put the building blocks together.”

On the importance of a strong start against the Kings:

“It just sets the table. We come out focused, ready, and we get some good defensive stops, good defensive possessions, even if they hit some tough shots, it gives you defensive confidence. It gives you momentum.

“So like I said, we did a great job starting out the day playing defense at a high level. The defense translates to our offense, and then our offense tonight we hit a high clip of shots. It helped a lot.

“Shoutout to OG, Deuce, Mikal, everybody who contributed, especially on the defensive end.”

On the team’s need for defensive improvements:

“We’ve been known for our offense. We’ve been known to have the firepower offensively. But defensively—that’s something that we have to get together, and we’ve done a great job of heading in the right direction these last three games.

“It’s about consistency. We’ve got to do it every night.”

On OG Anunoby’s recent form:

“I think he’s playing really well right now, especially in this part of the season. I’m super happy to see all the work that he puts in translating to success he’s finding right now on the court.

“Man, he’s special. I’ve been talking about him all year. He’s one of the most special two-way players in the NBA that the world has to offer in the game of basketball.

“As a brother I’m just happy to see the work that he puts in being recognized by the world and it’s translating into success for him and the team.”

Chipotle after a good win

— Josh Hart (@joshhart) March 11, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On the Knicks’ faster pace without Brunson:

“We turned defense into offense and played fast. We got extremely skilled guys, and I think playing fast, especially with (Brunson) out, fits us very well. That’s something that we’re trying to do.”

On breaking out of his shooting slump against the Kings:

“I felt good. I needed a game like that. Came to shootaround an hour to an hour and a half early, getting shots up. It just felt good to have a game like that. It helps with the confidence. Then I just got to keep building off of that.”

On OG Anunoby’s celebration after a big play:

“It looked good. He said he did some type of skip thing—I don’t know what it was.”

Josh: “He did some type of skip thing. I don’t know what it was”

OG: “I was trying to do something…I asked after ‘was that trash?’ Cam said it was alright…I’ve gotta work on it” https://t.co/IlVkzdWCEQ pic.twitter.com/VjE3mZsQWy

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 12, 2025​

OG Anunoby​

On his awful celebrations:

“Yeah, I don’t know. I was trying to do something. I was trying to do something instead of that thing that I do.

“I asked after, ‘Was that trash?’ Cam [Payne] said it was all right. It was all right. I’ve got to work on it.”

On his increased aggression with Brunson out:

“Yeah, definitely trying to be more aggressive. And even when he comes back, still be more aggressive. Just do what I can do.”

“March is here now”

Tyler Kolek sent JetBoots to Marquette’s entire squad pic.twitter.com/mXNvSPzPqU

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 12, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/3/12/24383888/knicks-bulletin-chipotle-after-a-good-win

 

[New York Knicks]

Game Thread: Knicks at Trail Blazers, March 12, 2025

Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images

The road trip continues for New York as they travel to Portland to battle the Blazers.

Tonight, the New York Knicks (41-23) compete in their fourth game of a five-game road trip, taking on the Portland Trail Blazers (28-38). The Blazers have lost four straight, but don’t be fooled. All four of those losses were to good teams and Portland’s gotten into a good groove in the second half of this season.

Don’t sleep on the Blazers. Tip off is 10 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Blazers Edge. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be good, like E.T. And go Knicks!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-thread-knicks-at-trail-blazers-march-12-2025