RJ BarrettAnd Emmanuel Quickly And Quentin Grimes The aggregate went 3-for-21 on Saturday. Julius Randel 7-for-20 shot. The Knicks missed 21 of 29 three-point attempts. Galen Bronson Only played 29 minutes due to a bug problem.
In a way, the Nix Found a way to steal game 1 On the way to a first round series against the Cavs.
Here’s how:
All hart
Josh Hart He waited six years—and 372 NBA games—to play in the postseason. He made up for lost time on Saturday. Hart scored 17 points and 10 rebounds against Cleveland. He made eight of 11 shots, including a three-pointer with 1:49 to play to give the Knicks a two-point lead. He also had five offensive rebounds.
Hart’s intensity fits perfectly with the atmosphere at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the pick-up, the preseason, the playoffs, he plays that way every time,” Bronson said of his former college teammate.
Hart’s strong play helped the Knicks bench off Cleveland, 37-14. As he did after many matches this season, Tom Thibodeau He referred to Hart as a “playmaker” after the first game win.
“When I say playmaker, I’m not talking about the traditional meaning of pass. Playmaker is what the game needs,” said Thibodeau. “So if you need a big chance, he’ll give you that. You need a big pick-me-up, save that. You need to stop defensively, provided that. Need a loose ball – that’s what it is. He’s a playmaker. He will make noisy plays, make tough plays. He’s a great competitor. He only plays to win. There is no agenda other than to win with him.”
Elevator from Julius
Randle was dubious heading into the first match. He missed two weeks due to a sprained left ankle. But after making steady progress in the final week of practice, Randle took the floor for Game 1.
His presence gave New York an instant boost.
Randle hit five of his first eight shots and helped the Knicks hold out for a first half that saw Bronson in trouble.
He missed 10 of his last 12 shots, but one of the misses was a three-pointer with less than seven minutes to play that stopped the Cavs’ run and put the Knicks ahead by 10.
“Julius played in 77 games until he sprained his ankle. He practiced every day. What you see in games, what you see in practice – (you know) you’re going to get everything he has,” said Thibodeau.
Randle made the biggest rebound of the game when he fumbled off Bronson. he moved Evan Mobley Out of the way to grab the rebound with 6.2 seconds to play and the Knicks took the lead twice.
Grimes then hit two free throws to close out the game.
Randle’s offensive rebound was 18 Knicksy from the game. The Cavs had 11. Those extra possessions were key in a game where both teams shot less than 44 percent from the floor.
“The recoil was massive,” Thibodeau said. “huge.”