DALLAS — The Knicks collapsed and surrendered to the mighty Luka Doncic.
It was an epic meltdown or epic comeback in regulation — relying in your rooting curiosity — because the Knicks squandered a nine-point lead with 33.9 seconds left. Doncic, whose stat line was one thing out of a online game, capped the drama with a putback that tied the rating with one second remaining.
It despatched the sport into additional time, the place the Knicks predictably went chilly below weary legs. Doncic completed with (protect your eyes, Knicks followers) a career-high 60 factors with 21 rebounds and 10 assists.
How unhealthy was the collapse?
According to ESPN, NBA groups have been 0-13,884 within the final 20 seasons when trailing by at the least 9 with 35 or fewer seconds remaining.
“We gave up and-1s, we gave up uncontested shots. We missed some free throws. So it was a compilation of things,” Tom Thibodeau stated. “So you give a team a second crack at things. And then you foul and give and-1s up. It doesn’t make sense.”
For the Knicks, the 126-121 OT loss was devastating and gut-wrenching but in addition worthy of reward given the circumstances.
New York’s Big-3, in any case, was down to simply Julius Randle.
Injuries to Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett put the Knicks in a seemingly inconceivable spot on the highway in opposition to Doncic. Yet with Randle persevering with to shine in his hometown — and behind profession nights from Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley — they led for many of the sport and almost pulled off the upset.
Instead, the Knicks (18-17) couldn’t shut and have been devastated within the remaining 30 seconds of regulation. It additionally snapped their five-game profitable streak in Dallas courting again to 2017.
“I’m sure if you look at the probability of us winning the game with 20 seconds left I’m pretty sure it’s like 99-point-something,” Quickley stated. “We just made too many mistakes and they capitalized on it.”
Barrett left the sport after only one minute with blood pouring out his index finger, the results of an inadvertent scratch suffered as Doncic swiped on the ball. Barrett was rushed to the locker room and by no means returned.
Brunson was dominated out earlier than tipoff with a hip contusion. It left a beginning function and 51 minutes for Quickley, who recorded a career-high 15 assists however shot simply 5-for-21 — together with 1-for-10 from past the arc. Grimes additionally picked up the slack with a career-high 33 factors.
But the hero till the late collapse was Randle, who had 29 factors with 18 rebounds in 45 minutes.
Randle, a Dallas native and resident, thrives in his video games on the American Airlines Center, averaging over 30 factors in his final 5 appearances. On Tuesday, he had a double-double by halftime and buried what appeared just like the dagger — a layup that gave the Knicks a 110-101 benefit.
Then the Mavericks (19-16) closed regulation with a 14-4 run in simply 44 seconds. Neither Randle nor Brunson nor Barrett addressed the media after the sport.
The huge Brunson return sport, in the meantime, by no means occurred. There was a pleasant video tribute within the second quarter and a standing ovation for the previous Mavericks guard, however he remained in avenue garments due to a contused hip sustained two days prior.
It was Brunson’s first missed sport of the season. His acknowledged aim of showing in each sport “as long as I can walk” gave hope he’d at the least try a begin, however then Brunson didn’t take part within the morning shootaround and by no means warmed up pregame.
“You trust your medical team,” Thibodeau stated. “Obviously Jalen has a big say in it but you put everyone together to make a good decision.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com