The New York Knicks closed a road trip that featured more headache than anything.
It goes without saying, 2018=19 has provided few positive results for the New York Knicks. They had some luck in November, but three wins since the start of December contributed to them near the bottom of the standings.
A six-game road trip, starting at December’s end, highlighted the Knicks’ recent struggles. They were 1-4 entering Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors — the final one of the trip — which obviously did not mean a simple night. This resulted in a 122-95 loss for head coach David Fizdale’s unit.
The Knicks were down early and often, unable to thwart the sharpshooting of the Warriors. It seemed similar to the Portland Trail Blazers loss on Monday night, until Golden State soared after halftime, as teams have against New York once they make adjustments.
It was Splash City for Klay Thompson, finishing with 43 points on 18-for-29 shooting and seven three-pointers. This marked his highest output since Oct. 29, scoring 52 points in a rout of the Chicago Bulls.
Potential future Knick Kevin Durant schooled the visitors, as well, on a cool 7-for-14 shooting for 24 points, six rebounds and six assists. Before the game, he spoke with team reporters and briefly addressed the rumors around his upcoming decision, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
"“I have no clue where that stuff comes from. I just focus on playing ball every single day. I can’t control what people say about me, or what they say about our future and what I should do. I come to work every single day, and life will figure itself out.”"
As for the Knicks that played Tuesday, they lost for the 15th time in the past 17 games, dropping their record to 10-31.
Six players finished in double-figures, but no one had more than 19 points, which Mario Hezonja finished with in 25 minutes off the bench. Otherwise, no one else had the opportunity to shine amid a night that never shined for the Knicks, who just 39.8 percent to the Warriors’ 51.0 percent.
The Knicks seemingly have nowhere to go but up, although they show few signs of breaking out and taking steps forward. While there’s young, inexperienced talent receiving major minutes, this team isn’t able to compete with the majority of the NBA, barring an outlier shooting night.
It’s not like the Western Conference road trip ending signals an easier schedule, either. The Knicks must face the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets in four of their next five games — arguably another quartet of defeats.
- Tuesday officially marked the halfway point for the Knicks, Game No. 41 of 82.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. had 13 points in 20 minutes, but never had a chance to create more momentum, as the Warriors blew the game open.
.@T_HardJR startin' early pic.twitter.com/1vu3AKzG0E
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 9, 2019
- Damyean Dotson laid an 0-for-7 mark in 22 minutes. His struggles have lasted for the past few weeks.
- With another shooting percentage below 40.0, Kevin Knox eclipsed this mark just once over the six-game road trip.
- No Frank Ntilikina or Mitchell Robinson, who sat out their second and 11th consecutive game, respectively, due to injury.
The New York Knicks have about 72 hours to think this over, before a home game against the Pacers on Friday, Jan. 11.