tom thibodeau knicks
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks got blown out at home by the Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns marched into Madison Square Garden as the hottest team in the NBA, and the New York Knicks were their latest victim.

The Suns pulled off a 118-97 blowout win courtesy of 32 points from Devin Booker. The Knicks, meanwhile, failed to get in a rhythm on offense after a strong first quarter. Everything went south from there, and no one stepped up to carry the load.

Julius Randle was a non-factor with just nine points on eight shots. Even worse, team leaders Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson again sat out with injuries.

It was one of the most forgettable games of the season, and the New York Knicks have another game to look forward to Saturday. The fact that Kevin Knox, once a highly-touted draft pick, got minutes shows how awful this game was from start to finish.

 

King Booker

Beating the Suns on any night means containing star shooter Devin Booker at least a little bit. Tonight, the Knicks failed to defend him adequately and he again showed why he’s one of the best in the game. Booker scored 32 points on 27 shots, sinking 14, and also drilled four threes. Along with him, five other Suns players scored in double figures.

 

Red hot Suns

For most of the night, it was as if Phoenix couldn’t miss. The Suns shot 55.7% from the field and 46.4% from three. Whenever six players finish in double figures, that’s a near-perfect recipe for a decisive victory. A 15-game winning streak later, and Phoenix is easily in the hunt for a title once again.

via GIPHY

 

Brick City

The New York Knicks have had some bad nights this young season, but this one was particularly rough. Okay, fine, so no one really expected New York to get a big win tonight, but this was never a competitive game. The Knicks shot an abysmal 37.8% from the field and 30.8% from three.

I wasn’t exaggerating earlier when I said no one player stepped up in the face of adversity. The Knicks had 13 assists on the night compared to the Suns’ 28. It was a bad, bad game, and things only get tougher when New York visits Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

via GIPHY

 

Player of the Game: Immanuel Quickley

Amidst the carnage, Immanuel Quickley managed another solid game off the bench with 16 points and four assists, plus three three-pointers.

Josh Benjamin has been a staff writer at ESNY since 2018. He has had opinions about everything, especially the Yankees and Knicks. He co-hosts the “Bleacher Creatures” podcast and is always looking for new pieces of sports history to uncover, usually with a Yankee Tavern chicken parm sub in hand.