Will the real Elfrid Payton get up, please?
One evening after the Knicks starting guard showed his poorest performance as Knick in a scoreless disaster, he went out on Sunday to beat the Bucks in a 130-110 stunning that gave Tom Thibodeau’s first victory as Knicks head coach.
It wasn’t a dream. Payton, whose slow start to the season had a buzzing social network for the bank, actually accumulated 26 points, making all three of his points and drawing 12 of 16.
Payton also eliminated three assists. His last two 3 points essentially eliminated the game. Payton’s biggest weakness is his misery beyond the arc, as he shot only 21 percent from last season’s depth.
Payton was not the only Knick to look like a new man, as “The Greek Freak” received a lot of humble pie in the Garden. Even Sunday’s reserve guard, Frank Ntilikina, came off the bench to make all four shots in 3 points.
RJ Barrett also put Saturday’s clunkfest behind him with 17 points. And Julius Randle continued his stellar game (27 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists) and was not embarrassed to defend Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sent off at the start of the fourth quarter in a sign teaching.
Too bad the Garden was largely deserted, as it could come down as one of the few highlights of the season, with the Knicks going 1-2 after double-digit losses in Indiana and Philadelphia, where they collapsed in second half.
Instead, Sunday’s Knicks improved only in the second half, mounting a swell of 28 points at the beginning of the fourth, after taking a 61-45 break lead.
Antetokounmpo was “held” on 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while the Knicks broke their four-game losing streak against Milwaukee.
The Knicks will no longer play at the Garden in 2020, as they begin a four-game road trip starting Tuesday in Cleveland and continuing to Tampa for a New Year’s Eve battle against the Raptors before ending their trip to Indiana and Atlanta.
The Knicks put together an 11-0 run at the end of the first half, which was limited by Alec Burks’ 3-pointer. Then Randle buried a 3-pointer in the last second unbalanced, while the Knicks took that 16-point lead at the break.
It was an emotional comeback performance from both Payton and Barrett, who were awful in the opening home game against the Sixers. Burks also came off the bench to drop 18 points – 15 in the first half.
The Payton fighter was scoreless on Saturday night, going 0 for 6 and missing all 3 points while getting only one assist.
On Sunday, Payton hit two early floats, then drew a rare 3-point lead. At the break, he had accumulated 11 points and three assists.
The guard game was a disaster for the Sixers, but it went spectacularly against Milwaukee. With Dennis Smith Jr. coming out with a bruised quad, Ntilikina inherited the role of backup guard and delivered 18 strong minutes from the bench when he burned from deep – 4 out of 4 from the 3-point line.
Barrett was a bigger disaster than Payton Saturday in a 2 out of 15 brick. He remained aggressive and made his way to the points on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo took possession of the ball after a miscued clearance by the defense and capitalized fully on the mistake to make it Khris Middletown. But the Knicks controlled mostly the “Greek Freak,” preventing him from destroying the rim.
The Bucks were also a horrible 8 out of 38 from the 3-point line. The Knicks shook off a terrible 3-point shooting performance on Saturday to shoot 15 of 26 against Milwaukee.
“The biggest thing is the way the paint attacks,” Thibodeau told the Bucks superstar in advance. “You can’t guard him individually – we have to guard him with our team. So it will take a lot of effort, multiple efforts. “
The effort was there this time for four quarters.