The Knicks were without Derrick Rose – and a pulse.
This pandemic season finally crushed the Knicks on Tuesday, with Rose’s COVID-19-related absence showing how a player can go from invisible to prominent in the blink of an eye.
Just a week ago, Frank Ntilikina hadn’t played since late December – felled by a knee sprain, COVID-19 protocols, and ripped out of rotation.
On Tuesday in San Antonio, the Frenchman became the starting point guard for the Knicks, and perhaps for the foreseeable future.
While Ntilikina maintained his end of the bargain with 13 points, 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point reach, the undermanned Knicks were terrible in the second half and their three-game winning streak was an ugly streak. 119-93 loss at AT&T Center.
“You get what you deserve,” said Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks, who dropped to .500 at 18-18 in the middle of the season, heard about COVID-19 health and safety protocols before the match was Rose out indefinitely.
The Knicks wouldn’t say whether Rose had tested positive for COVID-19 or encountered a person with the virus, but two players – Julius Randle and Ntilikina – referred to his test results.
“I found out when I was about to shoot for the game,” said Randle. He looked great. It’s a protocol. He seemed fine. So I’m not worried [it]It’s just the way things are testing. It’s not perfect, but it happens and we have to adapt to that. ”
It will likely mean that Rose is out until after the All-Star break. The Knicks will close the first half on Thursday against Detroit. Thibodeau said he had no timetable.
“We were already in the arena before the match,” said Ntilikina. “Then I found out what had happened to the test and started.”
Looking tired at the defensive end, the Knicks had Spurs drill 7 of the 14 3-pointers in the third quarter to crush them 36-21 in the period. That gave them 19 points after three quarters, 81-62, and in the fourth they were 27 points behind.
“It was probably the first game we had, frankly,” said Randle. “Throw it in the trash and get back to work.”
With Austin Rivers deep in Thibodeau’s doghouse, Ntilikina was anointed the starter over rookie Immanuel Quickley.
“I tried to keep the second unit together as much as possible,” said Thibodeau. [DeJounte Murray] also processed in it. ”
Quickley got hot in trash time, finishing with a team-high 26 points, making 6 out of 13 3-pointers.
Rose was due to start his fourth game in a row on Tuesday as original starter, Elfrid Payton, is still out with a hamstring tension. It looks like Payton won’t be back until after the week-long hiatus. He missed 18 games with a hamstring strain last season.
Rose’s situation is also uncertain. Usually protocols mean that a player is away from the team for a week, maybe longer if he tests positive.
The Knicks’ lax play started late in the first half after they blown a six-point lead. San Antonio’s Patty Mills was left wide open to hit a desperate 3 from the corner at the buzzer of an incoming pass. That gave San Antonio a 51-47 lead at halftime and full steam ahead.
“I think we could have come more ahead,” Ntilikina said.
Randle was held at 14 points, with 11 rebounds and five assists, playing for only 30 minutes, then rest in the fourth. He shot only 6 out of 16 – 1 out of 5 out of 3. RJ Barrett added 15 points and also took place most of the last period.
This was more about the Knicks’ defensive failures after going into the night with the second-best defense in the NBA. The Spurs sunk 18 three-pointers on 42 attempts.
Thibodeau, who continued to call angry timeouts in the second half, said it was “a compilation of things we need to do better”, adding, “Holding the ball, moving on the flight of the ball, the shot to challenge. ”
Gregg Popovich’s Spurs, after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997 last season, are back as a force, moving up to 18-13, even though they missed star LaMarcus Aldridge, with a stomach bug.
The Knicks had stayed away from major COVID-19 issues for most of the season. The Spurs don’t have that. In fact, San Antonio postponed its scheduled game against the Knicks last month due to issues with COVID-19.
“You hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” said Thibodeau. “That’s where we are now in competition with all health and safety protocols.”
But now things are catching up with the Knicks as they try to survive without their best two-point guards.