The wins have dried up as surely as the shots no longer fall for the Knicks. Three consecutive failed losses wiped out all the early buzz generated by the previous three games winning streak.
RJ Barrett and the Knicks endured another quirky shooting night, while off-season Gordon Hayward set them on fire with 28 of his game-high 34 points in the first half of a 109-88 defeat on Monday against the Hornets in Charlotte.
The Knicks (5-6) missed nine of their first 10 field goal attempts, shooting only 39.5 percent of the field overall. That included a 5-for-18 show – and five consecutive misses from a 3-point range – by Barrett, who finished with 11 points.
The # 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft shoots just 36.5 percent for the season and 18.0 percent for long-haul, tying in at nine of 50 attempts.
“I think it will eventually come,” said Thibodeau before the game about Barrett. “I think as long as he takes the right one, it’s a big part of the NBA game, I think, if he understands the value of those shots.
“But there are many more things he does well. We want him to play an all-round game. He can place the ball, he can control the ball well. And I think over time he will get better and better at shooting the ball from the edge. “
Rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley’s recent slump also continued with a 1-for-9 evening shooting off the bench in 28 minutes; he has only scored 10 points in his last four games with 2-for-24 shots.
Kevin Knox scored 17 of his season-high 19 points in the first half, while Austin Rivers started in place of Reggie Bullock – the first line-up change in 11 games under Thibodeau – to finish with 13. Julius Randle (2-for-) 9) netted a season low 11 points.
Impressive rookie point guard LaMelo Ball scored just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting for Charlotte (6-5), but he also contributed 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the Hornets’ fourth straight win.
The Knicks came in shooting 39.1 percent of the floor and 31.3 percent (6-for-21) of 3-point range in their previous two losses after connecting at least 50 percent of their tries in each game of the three-game winning streak.
“I think when you sometimes have trouble taking pictures, it takes away the other aspects of the game,” said Thibodeau. “But we have been a very selfless team. Some nights the ball goes in, some nights it doesn’t.
“But we have to do everything else to put us in a position to win.”
Thibodeau knew his team needed to rediscover and play representative defense against Hornets, who have improved with the additions of Hayward, their $ 120 million off-season acquisition, and Ball, the No. 3 overall pick. in the design.
Thibodeau gushed over both opponents, noting Hayward that the Knicks rated him “pretty high” as off-season free agent goals.
The former Utah and Boston star scorched the Knicks for 28 points in the first half on 8 of 12 shootings and 10 consecutive successful free throw attempts. The Knicks saw Charlotte in the first 10 points of the game and were behind by no less than 17 points in the first quarter.
Knox kept the Knicks close by nailing five of his eight long-range attempts and finishing half with 17, for a 57-50 Charlotte lead at break.
Still, the Knicks made 10 of their 16 turnovers in the first two quarters, and Knox aside, the rest of the team went 1-for-13 from the 3-point range. Hayward scored only four runs in the third, but the Hornets extended their lead to 82-68 entering the last quarter.