1. Teams rarely lose after committing three turnovers
Friday’s loss was hardly perfect for the New York Knicks, with the aforementioned shooting issues that hurt most of the team. Though, it’s still eye-popping to see a team lose with such few mistakes with ball movement.
The Knicks finished this game with just three turnovers compared to Brooklyn’s 22, and they still lost. Sure, it was only on a late basket from Caris LeVert, but a team handing the ball over so few times, and lose, never seems to happen.
For perspective, the Knicks didn’t have fewer than six turnovers in a game in 2017-18. However, they went 3-for-3 in games with single-digit turnovers. So the success wasn’t always there, but for a total as small as this, it’s almost a surprise that New York lost.
Though, it goes back to the early shooting woes, which placed the Knicks at 40.2 percent shooting and 32.1 percent from three-point range to close the game. The Nets had a torrid start from the field, and it kept them in the game, despite the second-half struggles.
The Knicks won’t be this controlled with the ball every night, so it’s somewhat of missed opportunity, even this early in the season. Wins may be hard to come by, especially with a game against the Boston Celtics next, so let’s see how they follow up at home on Saturday night.