Knicks fall to Warriors: Offense looks “lifeless”

The Knicks came into this game with a lot of positive storylines: This was the first time they had fans in Madison Square Garden in almost a year, Julius Randle had been announced as an Eastern Conference All-Star just moments before the game, and the team had a chance get to .500 on the season. Unfortunately for the Knicks, they came up short against a Warriors team that came to play.

Unlike the first meeting between these two teams where the Knicks won in a grind-out game, this one was largely played at the Warriors’ pace. The ball was zipping around the court while players were constantly sprinting and getting down in transition. Thibodeau’s team prefers things to be a little slower.

Even still, the team hung in the game until the very end – they just missed every possible opportunity to grab the lead, and they had a lot of them.

The Warriors’ ball movement kept the Knicks on edge all night

Even when the game did slow down, it always felt like the Warriors were in control. Stephen Curry finished with 6 assists and Draymond Green finished with 12 – The team finished with 30 assists total.

Curry certainly faced a few different looks from Knicks’ defenders, but he never seemed fazed. Curry finished with just 2 turnovers and it seemed as though the Warriors were the ones setting the tone for the entire game.

The only time the Knicks truly looked comfortable in this game was when the 2nd-unit came in during the 2nd quarter. The bench players are much more well-equipped to handle the rapid pace and ball movement, and the team took the lead thanks to strong play from Derrick Rose, Obi Toppin, and Alec Burks. Unfortunately for the Knicks, that brief burst of floor spacing and speed wouldn’t last.

The Knicks’ offense disappeared

The 3rd quarter was a disaster for the team as they got outscored 39-26. The real qualm here is that Thibodeau kept in his starting lineup. They were being dominated, yet Elfrid Payton and Randle played the entire quarter and Barrett wasn’t subbed out until very late in the quarter. Randle and Payton had the highest net rating of any starter in the 3rd quarter – they were both -13.

The Knicks’ defense began to clamp down in the 4th quarter, but their offense continued to struggle. It became hard to watch as the paint was consistently clogged, and even when players tried to force the issue and barrel their way into a crowded paint, the shots weren’t falling. The layups weren’t falling.

RJ Barrett had possibly the worst game of his career – He finished with 4 points on 1-9 shooting. There have been times this season where the Knicks’ offense has looked this bad, but they get bailed out by big shots from Julius Randle or Immanuel Quickley. Tonight, they didn’t have any such luck.

The Knicks didn’t establish the tone they wanted early in the game, and yet, the team was still in the game late. It goes to show just how badly this offense can impact the final score of the game. The Knicks as a team finished with a 39% field goal percentage – the only saving grace was their 87% free throw percentage.

Coach Tom Thibodeau needs to take a hard look at this game and realize that he can’t always stick to the gameplan. He must improve his on-the-fly lineups to adapt to the pace of the game, otherwise, the Knicks’ offense will continue to hamper the team.

Not a single bench player finished this game lower than a +10 on the night. The highest net-rating of any Knicks starter was… Nerlens Noel, a -18. The Knicks will look to bounce back against the Kings on Thursday night.