Studs no Duds: Knicks dominate Pelicans in the Garden

The highest-rated offense in the NBA belongs to the New York Knicks as they put on a clinic to begin a four-game home stand. Mikal Bridges bounced back remarkably, and the Knicks continued terrific passing, compiling 30 assists against the Pelicans.

Karl-Anthony Towns is off to the best season of his career, and setting the tone on the defensive end made all the difference, as New Orleans didn’t even score 90 points on this occasion. 

Mikal Bridges finds his groove for the Knicks 

The 28-year-old shooting guard had his best game of the season against the Pelicans. Bridges scored 31 points with seven made threes on 63% from the field and 58% from beyond the arc.

The social media outrage from basketball fans and media personalities regarding Bridges’s play this season has been at an all-time high, and it’s tremendous on Mikal for putting that talk to rest.

Four of the five players in New York’s starting five have had a 30-point game this season. Following Josh Hart’s comments after the previous contest, teammates looked for uncomplicated looks that Bridges could execute that would maximize the Knicks’ offense.

The defenses lost a little respect for Bridges amongst the all-star starting five and were detected sleeping on multiple occasions while Bridges got easy cuts and layups to the rim.

This contest showed the chemistry of the Knicks, making sure Bridges got going offensively. Following the win, he spoke with Ian Begley about his game and teammates, “ Josh my guy. He knows me. My whole life’s surrounded by basketball. Everything I do–at home, off days–just to be ready for our games. He knows I put so much work into it.” 

Karl-Anthony Towns one of the best bigs in the league

The Knicks boast a top three big man in the league with Towns. The big man is top-15 in scoring, and top-3 in rebounds while shooting an impressive 45% from beyond the arc.

Against the Pelicans, Towns set the tone tremendously on defense as he played the lane more and locked in defensively in the post. A massive block in the second quarter saw KAT looking imposing defensively, right on time for the soon-to-be return of Precious Achiuwa.

Towns continuing to be tenacious on the boards while stretching the floor for the Knicks will continue to be a matchup disaster for the opposition as KAT has the best season of his career. 

The games within the game 

An increased pace will allow New York to be even more lethal in transition, and the Knicks have shown incredible results when logging 30+ assists.

Having the ball on a string and keeping the defense on edge leads to easy buckets for the offense. New York is ranked last in possession per game, but increasing the tempo will add value to the quality of shots the Knicks will find. An array of high-IQ players can get the job done, and it should be an integral component in maximizing the offense every game. 

The defensive rating of New York remains one of the worst in the league but continues to show tremendous potential. Stringing together the defense played against the Pelicans is easier said than accomplished, yet if Towns continues his efforts displayed in a 14-point and 19-rebound occasion, while Anunoby remains prolific as a monster two-way player, then the best has yet to come for the defense of the Knicks.

Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa will return soon, and it looks like the Knicks will vastly afford their added production defensively. 

Takeaways

New York’s tendency to look like ‘The Avengers’ one night and then mediocre the next is a gimmick grown stale amongst Knicks fans. Setting championship standards for a team that holds them for themselves means criticism will be constant, and until the Knicks can string together a convincing winning streak, nothing will change.

The good news is the Knicks have the personnel to alter the narrative to fuel media expectations of them as real contenders. One game down on a four-game homestand, the highly talented Orlando Magic are up next. A valid test of the legitimacy of the Knicks as the Magic have been one of the best defenses in the league.