The Knicks were without Derrick Rose – and a pulse.
This pandemic season crushed the Knicks on Tuesday, with Rose COVID-19’s absence demonstrating how a player can go from invisible to prominent in the blink of an eye.
Just a week ago, Frank Ntilikina had not played since the end of December – knocked down by a sprained knee, COVID-19 protocols and being taken out of rotation.
On Tuesday, in San Antonio, the Frenchman became the Knicks’ starting guard and could be for the foreseeable future.
Although Ntilikina kept the end of the fair with 13 points, 5 out of 7 on the field and 3 out of 3 in the 3-point range, the Knicks under the team were awful in the second half and their three-win streak was broken into a ugly Losses 119-93 at the AT&T Center.
“Get what you deserve,” said Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks, who returned to .500 at 18-18 in the middle of the season, found out before the game Rose would go out indefinitely for COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Knicks would not say if Rose tested positive for COVID-19 or met a person with the virus, but two players – Julius Randle and Ntilikina – referred to his test results.
“I found out when I was about to shoot before the game,” Randle said. “It simply came to our notice then. This is the protocol. It looked good. So I’m not worried [it]. It’s just the way things are in testing. It’s not perfect, but it happens and we have to adapt to it. ”
It will probably mean that Rose came out until after the All-Star break. The Knicks finished the first half Thursday against Detroit. Thibodeau said he has no schedule.
“Before the game, I was already in the arena,” Ntilikina said. “That’s when I found out what happened to the test and I was going to start.”
The Knicks looked tired on the defensive end and allowed the Spurs to drill 7 of 14 triples in the third quarter to crush them 36-21 in the period. That dropped them 19 points after three quarters, 81-62, and they fell 27 points in the fourth.
“Probably the first game I’ve ever played so honestly,” Randle said. “Throw it in the trash and get back to work.”
With Austin Rivers deep in Thibodeau’s doghouse, Ntilikina was anointed newcomer Immanuel Quickley.
“We were trying to keep the second unit in place as long as we could,” Thibodeau said. “And the size of their guard [DeJounte Murray] also taken into account. “
Quickley heated up during the trash and finished with 26 points at team level, making 6 of 13 3 points.
Rose was due to start the fourth game in a row on Tuesday, as the original holder, Elfrid Payton, does not yet have a hamstring stalk. Looks like Payton won’t be back until after a week’s break. He missed 18 games last season with a hamstring strain.
Rose’s situation is also uncertain. Usually, protocols mean that a player is away from the team for a week, maybe more if he gives positive results.
Knicks’ loose play started late in the first half, after giving them a six-point lead. Patty Mills from San Antonio was left wide open to hit a desperate 3 from the corner, to the buzzer, through an entrance pass. That gave San Antonio a 51-47 lead at the break and all the momentum.
“I think we could have come out with more edge,” Ntilikina said.
Randle was kept at 14 points, with 11 rebounds and five assists and played only 30 minutes, reaching rest in the fourth. He shot only 6 of 16 from the field – 1 of 5 of 3. RJ Barrett added 15 points, taking up most of the final period.
This was more about the Knicks’ defensive shortcomings after they came in the night with their second best defense in the NBA. Spurs sank 18 triples in 42 attempts.
Thibodeau, who continued to resort to furious expirations in the second half, said it was “a compilation of things we need to do better”, adding: “Holding the ball, moving on the ball, provoking the shot”.
Gregg Popovich’s Spurs, after missing last season’s playoffs for the first time since 1997, returned in force, going 18-13 even though they lacked star LaMarcus Aldridge with a stomach virus.
The Knicks stayed away from the major problems of COVID-19 for most of the season. Spurs didn’t. In fact, San Antonio postponed its scheduled game against the Knicks last month due to COVID-19 problems.
“We hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” Thibodeau said. “Here we are in the league right now, with all the health and safety protocol.”
But now things catch up with the Knicks as they try to survive without the two top guards.