ESNY’s 5 gif reaction to the New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets dominated the New York Knicks from start to finish. Here’s the story of the game in gif form.

The New York Knicks are going through an offensive slump. They failed to crack 90 points for the second consecutive game and head coach Tom Thibodeau is searching for answers. Julius Randle continues to be the Knicks’ best player, but he doesn’t have much help right now.

Let’s take a look at the story of the Knicks’ 114-89 loss to the Denver Nuggets in gif form.

1st quarter: Slow starters

The Knicks struggled on offense against the Thunder on Friday and they picked up right where they left off against the Nuggets. The shorthanded Knicks don’t have much offense outside of Randle. RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton missed a few easy buckets early. Reggie Bullock started off hot but tailed off after knocking down two baskets.

The Knicks are having a tough time manufacturing points when the shots aren’t falling. Typically, great defenses can turn turnovers into easy points, but that wasn’t the case for these Knicks.

via GIPHY

2nd quarter: Anemic offense

Things went from bad to worse in the second quarter. After putting up a measly 21 points in the first, they followed it up with 17 in the second. Even with the Knicks playing defense at a high level, it’s tough to win games with those kinds of offensive numbers.

The bench is in shambles without Alec Burks right now. They only managed to put up four points on 1-for-8 shooting. Thibodeau is leaning into his old ways by relying heavily on his starters, but it’s hard to blame him when the bench is giving almost no production.

via GIPHY

3rd quarter: I didn’t hear no bell

Even when the Knicks aren’t playing well, they don’t quit. They are taking on their coach’s stubborn personality and that is a compliment.

Payton didn’t have his A-game, but he helped the Knicks inch back into the game with some hard-nosed play. Despite his flaws, Payton is excellent at getting the ball to the basket. He used his craftiness to score a few easy baskets inside.

The Nuggets seemed to have an answer for every Knicks run, but Thibodeau’s team refuses to quit.

4th quarter: Aaaaaand it’s gone

Putting up a fight is all well and good, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to wins. The Nuggets were just too much for the Knicks and that over-.500 record is gone.

After jumping out to an impressive 5-3 start to the season, the Knicks have come back down to earth over the last two games.

via GIPHY

Player of the game: Julius Randle

Randle has earned this honor for most Knicks games this season. The Texas native didn’t have much competition among his teammates in Sunday night’s loss to the Nuggets, but don’t let that take away from Randle’s impressive night. He tallied 29 points on 11-for-16 from the floor to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists.

via GIPHY

He’s taking his game to a different level and he’s starting to see his name alongside some of the all-time great players.

Julius Randle joins Oscar Robertson as the only two players in NBA history to record at least 200 points, 115 rebounds and 70 assists in their team’s first 10 games of a season. @EliasSports

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 11, 2021

The Knicks are playing .500 basketball after 10 games. That’s not a bad place to be. They will run it back on Monday night in Charlotte against the Hornets (5-5).