New York Knicks: Allonzo Trier’s late surge not enough in preseason finale

In what was supposed to be an epic preseason finale between two of the top 3 picks in the 2019 NBA draft, the New York Knicks played the Zion-less Pelicans at home and lose a nail-biter, 117-116.

Leading the way for the New York Knicks with 20 points, Julius Randle looked to create his shot early and often. While the game was tight for all 48 minutes with the Pelicans biggest lead being 12 points, the outcome seemed to be determined from the very beginning. The Pelicans got out to a small, early lead and never gave it up. Without Zion on the floor, the Pelicans played a more balanced game with 9 players with more than five field goal attempts while 7 of those players scored in double figures. The solid team production was almost erased by a late surge by the Knicks with Allonzo Trier scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Stars of the Night

1. “No Fear Trier” turned it on in the 4th with 16 points and gave Knick fans some hope. Ultimately, the Pelicans seemed to have an answer for every Knick run. David Fizdale made it a point to play Julius Randle and RJ Barrett the most minutes and I think that will prove to be how the Knicks rotation will be during the season.

Marcus Morris, Taj Gibson and Frank Ntilikina did not suit up for tonight’s game so that could also be the reason for the spike in minutes for Alonzo and extra minutes for Randle and the plethora of forwards the Knicks have. He played 24 minutes and was quiet most of the game but he was certainly the spark that gave the Knicks a chance to pull this one out. He left the electric atmosphere of the Garden feeling short changed and even tweeted about it afterwards.

2. RJ Barrett truly looked like he earned that Knick-name by shooting an efficient 75% on 9-12 from the field and knocking down the only 3-pointer he took. It’s exactly the kind of production the Knicks are going to need in order to stay in games all season. Of course, we cannot expect Barrett to duplicate this kind of efficiency so frequently but you could see the young fellow’s confidence grow with each made basket. It was great to see someone that will be apart of our future finish the preseason strong so we can head into the regular season with full steam ahead.

3. “Blue and Orange Julius” seems to be embracing his new role as the star of a team pouring in 20 points and grabbing 9 boards. The 19 shot attempts further proves what most of us already know: that he’s not afraid of the spotlight.

Although we’d like to see more efficiency, we can look forward to more nights like this because Randle has expanded his game outside of the three-point line and will be looking to find more ways to put the ball in the basket. He was 4 for 8 from three.

In the last game of the preseason it still looks like the New York Knicks coaching staff are trying to figure out a starting lineup. The team did play their best with a “Big 3” of Smith, Barrett and Randle on the floor at the same time. These 3 playing together represented the best plus-minus of the night for New York.

• Dennis Smith Jr. had a rough night scoring just 9 points on 2 of 12 shooting from the field. He did have 6 assists.
• Wayne Ellington got the start and scored 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting from 3. Wayne will be very important this year as one of the Knicks only outside shooting threats.
• Bobby Portis put in a solid effort by scoring 12 points in 23 minutes on 5 of 7 shooting from the field and grabbing 6 boards.
• Elfrid Payton had 6 points and 4 assists but lead the team in turnovers with 5. He only played 16 minutes and was never able to get into a rhythm.
• Kevin Knox made sure to get as many shots up as points he scored (9) in his short 16-minute stint on the court tonight. He’s going to need to continue to work hard and fight for consistent minutes. Outings like this will not help although I am surprised he didn’t play more minutes with a few regular rotation guys sitting out.

The Pelicans finish the preseason with an undefeated record and open their season on the road in Toronto on Tuesday, Oct. 22. While the New York Knicks are poised to get the year started off right as their first game of the season is on the road against the Spurs on Wednesday, Oct. 23.