Knicks: Good news and bad news from 109-97 loss to Rockets

The New York Knicks were unable to claim their third straight road victory Monday, as a scrappy Houston Rockets team overpowered them for most of the night and thwarted a late comeback effort, defeating New York by a score of 109-97. The Knicks fall to 3-3 on the season while the Rockets improve to 4-3.

The Knicks struggled shooting from the floor against the Rockets

Through the first five games of the season, the Knicks were one of the most efficient teams in the NBA. However, Monday night against the Rockets gave them their first cold shooting night of the season, as they shot just 39% from the field in the game.

They were efficient from three-point range with a 39% clip, but the volume of shots was down from their past two games with just 28 attempts Monday. All five starters scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, but only OG Anunoby shot above 50% or above. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and hit five three-pointers.

Coming off of a hyper-efficient 36-point performance against the Detroit Pistons, Jalen Brunson struggled with his efficiency against the Rockets, shooting just 9-for-24 from the field despite scoring 29 points. Brunson shot just 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter and was shut down by Houston’s stifling defense down the stretch.

The Knicks were playing shorthanded as Cameron Payne did not play Monday with a strained left hamstring. The bench provided virtually nothing without him, as Tyler Kolek’s one three-point make was their lone bench points on the night. Miles McBride, who had been tremendous to start the season, couldn’t buy a bucket against the Rockets, as he shot 0-for-9 from the field and finished scoreless in 26 minutes of action.

Things went south for the Knicks when Karl-Anthony Towns got into foul trouble

The absences of Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson were heavily felt against the Rockets. Karl-Anthony Towns found himself in early foul trouble with three personal fouls halfway through the second quarter, which forced him to go to the bench for the remainder of the half. Jericho Sims finished the half, but the Rockets extended their lead to 15 before Anunoby’s heroics offensively helped climb them back to within five before halftime.

Sims has struggled to make a positive impact this season, and despite having a +14 plus-minus against Houston, he put up zero shots in 15 minutes with just four rebounds. Unfortunately, Towns didn’t give them much either, as he finished as a team-worst -26 despite scoring 17 points and grabbing a season-high 19 rebounds.

The Knicks struggled to contain the Rockets’ slashing inside, losing the points in the paint battle 62-38. Alperen Sengün was a force for Houston on both ends of the floor, as he finished with 25 points (tying his season-high), 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

The Knicks couldn’t climb out of the deficit against the Rockets

The late comeback effort can be looked at as a positive takeaway, as the Rockets seemed to have an answer for everything the Knicks threw at them. Despite being down by double figures for a large portion, New York cut the deficit to just one late in the fourth quarter.

However, the Knicks couldn’t generate the same response defensively, often being late on rotations and committing too many fouls. The Knicks also were not properly getting back on defense, as they allowed Houston to score 15 fastbreak points. New York struggled rebounding as well, as the Rockets out-rebounded them 50-39.

Those small miscues ultimately became the deciding factor for the Knicks, as they were never able to fully climb out of the hole they were in despite making a valiant effort. New York did not outscore Houston in any of the four quarters on Monday, which allowed the Rockets to carry the momentum for the majority of the game.

The Knicks will now head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks and try to bounce back with a victory to get back to over .500. That game is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. EST.