The New York Knicks dropped their 15th straight game at Madison Square Garden as a slow second half doomed the comeback on Tuesday.
- New York Knicks 92 (10-43)
- Detroit Pistons 105 (24-29)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Knicks lost their 27th game in their last 29 chances and haven’t won a game at Madison Square Garden in over two months. Obviously, that’s not good. In fact, that’s exceptionally bad.
But before we talk about the bad stuff, there were some positive signs in Tuesday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. For one, Dennis Smith Jr. was a burst of energy all night long. He finished the night with 25 points, five rebounds, and six assists. He shot poorly from deep (2-for-9), but he attacked the basket well.
The Kristaps Porzingis trade brought three specific things to New York—draft picks, cap space, and a promising young player in Smith. The 21-year-old point guard definitely has his flaws, but he is worth a look for head coach David Fizdale.
DSJ shaking and baking #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/X7i2pCAwHS
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 6, 2019
Mitchell Robinson was another bright spot on Tuesday night for the Knicks. The second-round pick was flying high, scoring all 13 of his points on a steady barrage of alley-oops in the first half.
Furthermore, Robinson showed some muscle inside, finishing with 10 rebounds and two blocks on the night. He disappeared to a certain extent in the second half, but we keep seeing these flashes of something special in the kid from Louisiana.
Mitchell Robinson brings the house down! #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/t0YmdlXuEb
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 6, 2019
Robinson wasn’t the only Knick to fade in the second half. Although New York’s defense picked up the intensity, the offense fell woefully short. The Knicks put up 17 and 21 points in the third and fourth quarters respectively.
The offensive lull allowed Blake Griffin and the Pistons to keep the Knicks at bay. Griffin finished with 29 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. His frontcourt running mate, Andre Drummond, tallied 17 points, 16 rebounds, and five highlight-reel blocks. Despite Robinson’s excellent first half, Detroit’s frontcourt was the dominating difference in this one.
There were some positives to glean from Tuesday night’s effort, but these are tough games to watch. Losses are almost routine at this point and it feels like the Knicks are never going to win in Madison Square Garden ever again.
The most enticing reason to watch Knicks games is to check on how the young guys are progressing. That’s really about it.
New York travels to Detroit to play the Pistons in a rematch on Friday before returning home to play the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
