NEW YORK – The New York Knicks missed their last chance to make a statement against the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Feb 19.
But the Knicks will not have to wait long to get another opportunity against a potential NBA title contender on Feb 21 (Feb 22, Singapore time), when they host the Houston Rockets in the first clash of the season between the teams.
Both teams were off on Feb 20 after returning from the All-Star break on Feb 19, when the host Knicks fell to the Pistons 126-111 and the visiting Rockets edged out the Charlotte Hornets 105-101.
The loss was just the third in the last 13 games for the Knicks. But it also continued a troubling season-long trend for New York, who were swept by the Pistons while being outscored 365-281 in the three games.
The Knicks, who are in third place in the East, are 12-5 against the other teams who occupied a guaranteed play-off spot entering play on Feb 20.
The defeat on Feb 19 was by far the narrowest for the Knicks, who trailed for the final 41-plus minutes.
New York got within two points at 62-60 with less than nine minutes left in the third, but O.G. Anunoby missed a potential game-tying lay-up and Duncan Robinson hit consecutive three-pointers for Detroit, who pulled away and led by double figures throughout the fourth quarter.
“They played great against us,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who scored a team-high 33 points. “I think today was obviously not as bad as the first two. But I mean, just not up to our standards.”
The Knicks’ standards were raised last season, when they made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 but fired head coach Tom Thibodeau just days later. New York have not made the NBA Finals since 1999 and have not won the title since 1973.
“Nobody wants to lose,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. “And everybody is disappointed. And I’m sure everybody is trying to figure out how they could’ve played better to help the team win.”
The Rockets also signified their all-in strategy last summer when they acquired former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster seven-team trade.
Houston, who reached the play-offs last spring for the first time since 2020, are in a virtual tie for third in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets, sparked by Durant, won for the third time in four games on Feb 19 in Charlotte after they overcame an 11-point first-half deficit.
The 37-year-old Durant sparked the comeback by scoring 35 points – his most since Jan 22, when he finished with 36 points in a 128-122 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
He had 19 points in the second half on eight-of-11 shooting, including 10 points in the fourth quarter, when he was four-of-four from the field and two-of-two from the free throw line.
“I was aggressive, looked to score,” Durant said. “My mindset was ‘I’m trying to go get a basket instead of trying to make the play,’ so I think that’s why I let the ball in my hands.”
In NBA action on Feb 20, Anthony Edwards condemned the Dallas Mavericks to a 10th consecutive loss – their worst slump since 1998 – scoring 40 points in an ultimately convincing 122-111 win for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Fresh from winning MVP honours at last weekend’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles, Edwards also managed six rebounds, while Rudy Gobert scored a double-double, with 22 points and 17 rebounds.
“We take pride in being able to win clutch games,” said Edwards. “We struggled with that last year.”
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed back from the NBA All-Star Game break with a 105-86 win over the lowly Brooklyn Nets, consolidating their lead at the top of the West.
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic scored 38 points with 11 assists and Austin Reaves added 29 points as the Los Angeles Lakers used a full complement of stars to earn a 125-122 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
In Portland, Nikola Jokic recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in three quarters and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a record-setting 157-103 victory over the Trail Blazers.
The 157 points were the most scored by an NBA team this season. It was the sixth-highest single-game total in Nuggets history. REUTERS, AFP