New York Knicks: Grades from yet another loss to Celtics

While the New York Knicks played competitively at times, they lost by double digits to the Boston Celtics, dropping to 0-3.

New season, same old finishes. The New York Knicks dropped to 0-3 Saturday night, losing to the Boston Celtics in the first home game at Madison Square Garden of 2019-20, 118-95. A second-half breakdown led to David Fizdale’s team’s collapse, with 72 allowed points to just 44 of their own in the third and fourth quarters combined.

This rough game will send the Knicks reeling, leaving more questions than answers about lineups and the rotation moving forward. How did player performances potentially impact this? Let’s take at the grades from the Oct. 26 game:

It is usually hard to find good performances in losing efforts, but RJ Barrett played well for the Knicks, scoring a current career-high 26 points on 9-for-20 shooting, 4-for-6 from three-point range, seven rebounds and three assists. He found the rim plenty, and notions about a lack of outside shooting went out the window for one night.

However, Barrett was part of the turnover problem, giving the ball back to Boston five times, which tied the team-high. He has 4.3 turnovers per game so far.

Foul trouble continues to plague Mitchell Robinson. In just 19 minutes, he had four more calls, adding to the five he accumulated in Friday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

To add a double whammy, Robinson appeared to hurt his ankle in the second half. He missed the season opener due to a sprained right ankle.

On the bright side, the second-year center had 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks. It was an efficient, productive night when in the game, but the Knicks need him for longer than 19 minutes, especially without another rim protector to back him up.

It was another game of brief moments for Julius Randle, but the negatives outweighed the positive, with just 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting and five turnovers. Playing as a lead guy over a full season is still something the veteran power forward has not done, but he will fill the stat sheet nonetheless.

From over 20 points in over 20 minutes to a near blank, Allonzo Trier scored just two points on 0-for-4 shooting in 20 minutes. He found no opportunities around the rim, taking everything from behind the arc. Plus, a failed backcourt pairing with this following player, in the second half, contributed to New York’s demise.

Fizdale wants Dennis Smith Jr. to play well, but the third-year guard had a miserable preseason, which carried into the first three regular-season games. In just 11 minutes, Smith went 0-for-3 for zero points and two turnovers. The decision to play him in the second half was a head-scratcher.

Smith has now accumulated just 25 minutes for three points on 1-for-11 shooting, one rebound and three assists total. Backcourts are torching him, too, so, right now, there is no impact at either end of the court.

With one day off, the New York Knicks will return to the court on Monday, Oct. 28, with the Chicago Bulls as the next opponent at Madison Square Garden.