Again, can we all calm down just a little bit? As detailed yesterday, when pleading with New York Knicks fans to stop slandering head coach Tom Thibodeau, this new-look squad needed time to gel.
A day later, the Knicks won their fourth-straight game, 138-122, over the Phoenix Suns out west.
Nov. 20, 2024: Final
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As usual, the squad’s one-two punch of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the way.
Brunson, 28, led the way with a team-high 36 points on 12 of 21 from the floor and 7-11 from beyond the arc. He also dished out 10 assists, claiming the double-double.
Towns, 29, went for 34 points and 10 rebounds, snagging his own double-double. His absurd 12-19 field goal shooting helped the Knicks jump out to a double-digit lead early—something the team didn’t relent the rest of the way.
For the first time since 1988, the Knickerbockers have scored 130 points or more in back-to-back games. Speaking from a pure team (time-to-get) perspective, the Knicks’ 30 assists in this one marked the first time since the 1994-95 season that the team reached the 30-assist mark in three-straight contests (hello, Derek Harper, John Starks, Greg Anthony, and others).
From a coaching perspective, there isn’t much to dislike. Surely, Thibodeau is harping on certain defensive principles—particularly the high pick-and-roll (as seen against Indiana earlier this season)—but that’s pretty much it.
Offensively, Leon Rose’s vision for what this team could be with the newcomers is extremely apparent. Although Towns and Brunson will continue to fill the headlines, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have fit their specific roles in an extraordinary way.
Both players continue to lead the way on defense while shooting efficiently, which has been the name of the game for this offense. Anunoby chipped in with 14 points on 4 of 7 shooting, whereas Bridges went for 16 on a 7-14 line from the field.
Ten Knicks earned minutes in the game, which is music to many fans’ ears.
With Miles McBride, Princess Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson still injured, Cameron Payne assumed his usual sixth-man role in Phoenix (26 minutes). Jericho Sims (14 minutes), of course, also chipped in, but rookies Tyler Kolek (11 minutes) and Pacome Dadiet (2 minutes) also saw time. Sheesh, even Obi Toppin saw a couple of minutes in garbage time.
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| FG | 50-86 | 45-92 |
| Field Goal % | 58.1 | 48.9 |
| 3PT | 19-39 | 19-50 |
| Three Point % | 48.7 | 38 |
| FT | 19-21 | 13-17 |
| Free Throw % | 90.5 | 76.5 |
| Rebounds | 41 | 34 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 10 | 11 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 31 | 23 |
| Assists | 30 | 30 |
| Steals | 10 | 9 |
| Blocks | 0 | 2 |
| Total Turnovers | 15 | 14 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 11 | 24 |
| Fast Break Points | 28 | 10 |
| Points in Paint | 60 | 44 |
| Fouls | 15 | 16 |
| Technical Fouls | 1 | 1 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 | 0 |
For the Suns, Devin Booker led his team with 33 points but didn’t have much of a chance against the Knicks’ high-powered offense. With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal missing the game via injury, Thibodeau’s team took care of business on the road in impressive fashion.
Next up for the 9-6 New York Knicks is a local-time Saturday matinee against the Utah Jazz.
