Post Game Reaction: Pistons 102 Knicks 89
The New York Knicks did not play well in their loss to the Pistons 102-89. The Knicks defense and bench really struggled in this one. Here are a few of my observations from this game.
Knicks play no defense. The Knicks defense was poor all night. It was most evident through the first 3 quarters, giving up 86. They ended up giving up over 50 paint points, let the Pistons shoot 46.1% and make 8 threes. The percentage would have been even higher if not for a poor showing in the fourth. Both Harris and Morris kept getting whatever they wanted. The two combined for 47 points on 17-26 shooting. The Knicks let them do what they wanted and they showed very little resistance. The perimeter defense has become a problem, they don't impede anyone from getting to the spots they want.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Melo and Porzingis combined for 18 of 24 points in third quarter. During a stretch in the third quarter, both Melo and Porzingis carried the Knicks as they combined for 18 points. Porzingis ended up playing the whole quarter. Melo finished up with 24 points and Porzingis with 19. The two of them got hot in the third quarter but they may have ran out of gas because of that.
4th quarter woes for the Knicks. The Knicks struggled all night with their defense, giving up 86 through 3 quarters. In the fourth they ended up giving up only 16 but they only managed to score 10 themselves after scoring 79 through 3. The Knicks at one point missed 7 straight shots and finished 5-20 in the fourth, while holding the Pistons to 6-19 in the fourth. They did not take advantage of the struggles by the Pistons.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Poor ball movement. Another game where the Knicks ball movement was an issue. They may have ended up with 18 assists but on too many occasions the Knicks played iso ball and tried to go one-on-one. Melo and Rose, who tend to have the ball the majority of the time combined for just 3 assists. Thats not going to cut it. They need better ball movement and Rose and Melo need to set their teammates up. Noah on the other hand was one of the few that looked to setup his teammates as he led the team with 8 assists. He needs to be more of a focal point of the offense.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Bench another no show. The Knicks really need to figure out this bench rotation. They ended up scoring 19 points but Jennings was erratic, Thomas looked lost, O'Quinn is way too inconsistent, while Ndour and Hernangomez are too raw and need more experience before becoming relevant help to this team. The only bright spot has been Holiday, who may not be a polished scorer but puts in the work on defense and runs the floor. Its an issue because the starters will not get any rest and tonight they needed more help from those guys.
From the first 3 games, two glaring weaknesses have become evident, the defense needs work and the bench is very weak. Both those things are worth monitoring going forward. The Knicks play again tomorrow against the Rockets and then the Bulls on Friday, so the schedule does not get any easier.
