It was an interesting week for the New York Knicks. Though the first game against the Cavs was relatively close, it felt like an abysmal loss. However, the Knicks were able to bounce back with two strong wins against Miami and Detroit, and they are playing where many Knicks fans thought they would be going into the season. Welcome to the 2nd edition of the 2024 New York Knicks weekly recap, where I go over my thoughts on how they played the week prior and what I expect them to do the following week. With that, let’s get into the blog.
The Knicks lost to the Cavs 110-104 Monday night in a game they should have won. Outside of Darius Garland cooking the Knicks, there wasn’t one player on the Cavaliers who was making an impact on the game. The only problem was that no one on the Knicks was making an impact. It was a slow night for Jalen Brunson, who only scored 21 on 8/24 from the field. Plus, Karl-Anthony Towns only took 8 shots throughout the whole game. The Knicks’ two stars were nowhere to be found, which was the biggest factor in the Knicks losing. If one of Brunson or KAT had a good offensive game, the Knicks would have easily won this game. Sadly, Darius Garland couldn’t miss a shot, especially in the 4th quarter, and the Knicks lost their 2nd game of the season.
After that, New York started a 4-game road trip in Miami, and it was another slow start for New York. They were able to keep pace with the Heat but lost the first half. Brunson was having another bad game as he shot 6/18 from the field with 22 points. It was an uneventful first half for the Knicks, but Knicks fans got to see Karl-Anthony Towns’ first big game with the team. KAT was asked after the Cleveland loss why he only took 8 shots against Cleveland, and it seems he took it personally. He was a completely different player against the Heat as he shot 17/25 from the field and 4/5 from three, finishing with 44 points and 13 rebounds. When the Knicks traded for Towns, many wanted to see this type of player. Towns was able to score every which way possible. He was scoring from the post, midrange, and from three.
It’s nice to know the Knicks don’t have to rely only on Brunson. When Randle went down to injury last season, Brunson’s best option on the offense was Donte Divocenzo. And don’t get me wrong, I love Divo, and he came up huge last season when players like Randle and Anunoby went down, but having a guy like KAT, who can score from anywhere, is a significant improvement. KAT was the main contributor to the Knicks’ win on Wednesday night, as his 44 points were the most scored from a center since Patrick Ewing. The last time a Knick center scored 44 or more points was in 1995. An insane stat that should have never been a thing in the first place.
After the Knicks win in Miami, they headed up to Detroit in the most fun game to watch all season. With back-to-back poor shooting performances from Jalen Brunson, he woke up from his shooting slump and had himself an excellent game. Brunson shot 14/22 from the field, 6/8 from three, and had his season high in points, scoring 36. It was a great game where the Knicks had six players score double digits, and they broke another longtime scoring streak this game. For the first time since 1989, the Knicks had five starters score over double digits in 4 straight games. Every single Knick was playing their role to perfection, as it was an easy win for New York. They got their first two-game win streak of the season and are above .500 for the first time.
Before I get into the grades, I need to show love and appreciation to Josh Hart. The man is fighting some type of leg/ankle injury but still busts his ass every night. I say this in the nicest way possible. I blame the loss against Cleveland on him because once he leaves the game, you can feel the tide shift. He told Thibs he needed out of the game, which shows how hurt he really was, and it was all downhill from there. But what does Josh Hart do in the next game against the Heat? He just leads the game in minutes played with 42, all while scoring 10 points and getting 14 boards. Josh Hart is an animal and should always be appreciated for how good he is at the little things.
Weekly Grades:
Jalen Brunson: B
Karl-Anthony Towns: A
OG Anunoby: B
Mikal Bridges: B+
Josh Hart: A-
Deuce McBride: B+
Cam Payne: C
Jericho Sims: C
Now, let’s see what the Knicks have up next for the coming week.
The Knicks continue their road trip as they head to Houston to play the Rockets on Monday. I appreciate the Knicks getting two days off, as it gives Josh Hart time to rest whatever is bothering him. As I write this blog on Saturday morning, the Rockets have won two impressive games against the Spurs and Mavericks. In all honesty, I know very little about the Rockets this season, but I still expect the Knicks to win. There aren’t many teams better than the Knicks, and I don’t assume the Rockets made much improvement from last season for me to say they will give the Knicks trouble this game.
After that, the Knicks play their final road game of this trip in Atlanta to play the Hawks on Wednesday. The Hawks bring me zero fear, as I expect the Knicks to beat this team easily. I’m sure media pundits will hype this game up because Trae Young had a good couple of games in the 2021 playoffs, but since then, the Knicks have owned Trae Young and the Hawks, going 7-4 in that time period.
Finally, for the last game of the week, the Knicks head back to MSG to play Bucks. The Bucks are off to a horrendous start, as they are 1-4 at the time of my writing this. It seems like the Giannis-Dame pair is not working, but seeing those two players on the same court will always scare me. I don’t care if they are 20-0 or 0-20, it feels like the Bucks always play the Knicks hard. The Knicks should finish this week positive, and with how the Bucks have played this season, the Knicks should be 6-2 by the next time my blog comes out.
SmallDog Sports 
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