RJ Barrett was looking forward to returning to the field after 2 of 15 Saturday at the brickfest against Sixers in the opening of the house.
It was the perfect time for a back-to-back in Barrett’s eyes – even if it was against Eastern Conference favorite Bucks.
Barrett put the Philadelphia fiasco in the rearview mirror and launched a strong exit to match his pre-season and season-opening performance. In the 130-110 Knicks shock over Milwaukee on Sunday, Barrett was again a ram, accumulating 17 points with eight rebounds and four assists. It was also a plus-21.
“You want to get back in the yard as soon as possible,” Barrett said. “I was definitely thrilled to have this opportunity today.”
Barrett watched the game’s video in Philadelphia, in which he missed the first nine photos and was not surprised. The irony is in the opening season against Indiana, Barrett made the first nine shots.
“The best advice was for me – I have another one tomorrow,” Barrett said. “I’m not the only person who had a bad night of shooting. I was very happy with the result. “
Coach Tom Thibodeau said he loves Barrett’s mentality.
“Just aggression,” Thibodeau said. “When you don’t take photos, you can’t let them affect other parts of your game. He had a great first game. When you have a game like this, you will be careful. You have to read the game and how it plays you. You have to use their aggression as they close to the advantage of our team. He does this with penetrating actions and pressure on the defense and forcing the defense to collapse. “
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hardly enjoyed this visit to the Garden and not just because the Bucks lost.
Greek Freak, who recently signed a contract extension to stay in Milwaukee for another five years, finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
“It doesn’t feel right – the most famous arena without a crowd,” said Antetokounmpo. “Usually, when I come here, I see 20 Greek flags, people cheering, practically the whole Greek community comes out in support of me and my team. It’s always beautiful. The garden always has this beautiful energy and tonight it was empty. We hope that the next time we come to the garden is full. “
Although the Knicks have announced that Obi Toppin will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, Thibodeau looks like their rookie lottery option could be out in two weeks with a calf strain – if not more.
Toppin re-aggravated a calf injury not previously revealed at the start of the season, Thibodeau said. The rehabilitation process makes Toppin unable to put pressure on his leg for a week, affecting his condition. Toppin will no longer practice in 2020.
“When you miss that kind of time, with that kind of injury, there will be a period of time for him to get back to speed in terms of the game,” Thibodeau said. “And obviously with a calf, you can’t run or jump, so the conditioning component will take that into account.”
It should be noted the last time a Knicks rookie strained a calf, it was not good. Allonzo Trier, in 2018-19, participated in the last 3 ½ weeks of his debut season with a calf stalk. Toppin missed the second game in a row on Sunday. From now until January 11, the Knicks play eight more games. That could mean Toppin misses a total of 10 games.
Austin Rivers, the free agent’s signatory, will undergo his first contact training session on Monday. He missed all four pre-season games with a groin attraction and almost all the camps.
Thibodeau said he intends to rotate it, according to sources, when he is healthy. … Goalkeeper Dennis Smith Jr., who looked uninspired in his 17-minute debut on Saturday’s season, missed Sunday’s game with a bruised quad.