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New York Knicks: Who stepped up against New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 30?

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 30: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 30: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Frank Ntilikina

The New York Knicks matched up against the team with the two best big men in the NBA. In turn, a significant focus became containing the perimeter players and preventing them from impacting the game in a strong enough manner to adequately support the stars.

Frank Ntilikina more than pulled his weight in that regard, stepping up on defense and helping to lead the charge on the offensive end of the floor

Ntilikina had his second consecutive solid offensive performance, posting eight points and four assists in 29 minutes of playing time. He shot 4-of-10 from the field, and added five rebounds and a steal to just one turnover.

With a positive plus-minus and a clear impact on the defensive end of the floor, Ntilikina completed his best month as an NBA player with another encouraging showing.

Ntilikina finished the month of December with averages of 7.5 points, 3.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 three-point field goals made per game. Those numbers translate to 11.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.

Ntilikina is beginning to find his range as a shooter, and that’s opening up the rest of his game and allowing him to play with a pace he hadn’t previously found in 2017-18.

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