This was what they needed. Others have no money; there’s nothing like this. But Knee needed to start this resulting six-game road swing to the West, as he did on Sunday night. The Houston Rockets are formidable, and their supply of active players is slim, and they are playing string.
The rocket was required to pound.
The Knicks pound the Rockets. They included him in the club 122–97, and even managed to knock Julius Randall out of the entire fourth quarter, a good one to keep him somewhat fresh for Monday’s second leg trip to Memphis. Was the way.
Can be fun now Really Start.
Now, in fact, Nax can think of being greedy.
The Celtics lost to the Blazers on Sunday; They are now three games behind the Knicks in the loss column. The Heat defeated the Hornets; They are returning two games in the same loss column as Atlanta. So now the Nucks can pass a game from the calendar, they can move on to Memphis, and ahead of Denver, and Phoenix and La La
And start thinking some more.
In these last few days, most of the Naxa fans have idled and waited for the team to play again, agreeing that they would sign up for the 2-4 trip. You take care of business in Houston, then see what happens from there. Having already defeated Memphis, the game launched its nine-game winning streak which is now 11 wins from 12 matches. You never know when a star – a Nikola Jokic, a Kavi Leonard, an Anthony Davis – will sit unexpectedly.
And coincidentally: the Nucks have proven that they are good enough to hang around with all the teams on this trip for 48 minutes. But Knotts needed to take care of business at Houston’s Toyota Center in order to be realistic about the broader ambitions of the trip.
The Knicks took care of business. Randall had 31 points in 30 minutes. RJ Barrett filled the box score: 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals. Derrick Rose was plus-35 for his 31 minutes on the court, Taj Gibson plus-36 for his 32. It was a good breath, even though Coach was not about using such a label.
“I never felt like it was a laugh for us,” Tom Thibodo said. “You have to play for 48 minutes. You mess with a team like this, they start making 3s on you, they can make some ground. “
In fact, the Rockets stunned the Bucks a few nights ago, helping in the absence of Giannis Entetoconampo. They have nothing to lose, can play loose, be free and easy, and have a five-point early lead.
But the Knicks are playing very well right now, riding a very powerful wave. He hasn’t lost a trap game in weeks. They understand what awaits them in this journey. They are a team currently focused on business.
“We’re fighting for something,” Rose said. “We know that down the stretch we want to play our best basketball, give our best effort and play with readiness. It’s about picking up the other person. We need to know that this is a piece game. is. “
The next five are going to be sure this way. The next five are what Knicks fans have been pointing to for weeks, months, since it became clear that those games were actually going to matter to the Knicks. Perhaps it felt like a happy accident at first, the way this entire season was felt for the first 45 games.
But there is nothing accidental about where the Knicks are now: 36-28, entering the 500 record on the year in advance, already gaining a spot in the postson tournament. Five months ago and the day before, when the Knicks first cruised for the first season of December, such goals seemed laughable, if not downright confusing.
Five months and a day later, on the second day of May, he felt like proposing something bigger, something better. In a couple of weeks that would mean some sort of postsen game. Starting now means a Memphis / Denver / Phoenix / Los Angeles gauntlet that may well determine how long a second season lasts.
“We’re taking it as a challenge,” Rose said. “We know that everybody is playing for something. Every team, every game, is going to be a rough game like a playoff game. “
Starting on Monday night at FedExForum in Memphis, as long as the ride goes on, they will all feel like playoff games. And then playoff game. Now the fun can really start.
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