An expensive weekend due to Mitchell Robinson’s injury still resulted in two significant wins against understaffed opponents for the Knicks.
Immanuel Quickley made contact on four three-pointers and scored 22 points – while substitute centers Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson played well in the first game without Robinson – as the depth of the Knicks took them to a convincing 121-99 victory on Saturday night over the Rockets on garden.
Derrick Rose contributed 16 points from the bench as the Knicks (13-15) took advantage of Victor Oladipo’s absence for Houston due to a foot and ankle injury, just as they had the previous night against the Wizards without NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal .
Julius Randle also scored 22 runs and Elfrid Payton added 15 for the Knicks, who will host the Hawks on Monday. John Wall led the Rockets (11-15) with 26 points, while Eric Gordon finished with 24.
With Robinson facing the likelihood of surgery after breaking a bone in his right hand during Friday’s victory in Washington, Noel made his first start of the season, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds in a season-high 32 minutes. Gibson replaced Noel on the second unit, contributing four points and five cards in 16 minutes.
“Our startups and our bank are similar in many ways,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “The individual strengths are a little different for each man. But in terms of what they bring to the team, you can make sure you can start all the guys on the second unit. “
Noel came in from the bench averaging just 17.5 minutes per game, but he is fifth in the league with 2.0 blocked shots per game.
Noel turned Randle’s early alley-oop pass and Reggie Bullock buried three three-pointers during a 16-3 run for an eight-point Knicks kiss mid-first quarter. Their second unit – with Gibson replacing Noel – closed the period with buckets from rookies Quickley and Obi Toppin (11 points) for a 30-25 advantage.
The lead was extended to 14 with a 15-4 sprint, with Rose and Quickley’s backcourt accounting for nine points. The duo finished seven apiece in the half, with the Knicks leading a whopping 17 with a 63-47 lead at the break.
It was the third game of impact in a row with the Knicks for Rose since he was taken over from Detroit last weekend. He even studied videos with assistant coach Andy Greer in the team’s Tarrytown training facility after the Knicks returned from Washington late Friday night.
“He’s a great student of the game,” said Thibodeau. “He always has. I think that has allowed him to adapt, grow and change. I think you see that with a lot of players who are dominant players. They are constantly adding to their game.
So I am not surprised. I think he has spent a lot of time understanding his new teammates and their strengths and how to use them better. “
Randle closed the half with 13 points and Noel added eight in 4-for-5 shots when the Knicks shot 52.2 percent off the floor and made just one turnover in the first two quarters.
The Knicks got sloppy in the third and made four early turnovers, allowing the Rockets to narrow the lead to five with 3:40 left. Wall pumped in 15 in the quarter, but a dunk from Noel and a two 3-pointers from Quickley pushed the Knicks’ advantage to 87-75 and entered the final quarter.