The New York Knicks dropped their second straight game Sunday night, and the home crowd brought out the boo birds early and often. The Knicks lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-100, but in reality the game was over by the end of the first quarter.
After the first 12 minutes of play, the Knicks found themselves down 40-19 and trailed by as many as 25 in the first half. Last year, the Knicks were the best team in not turning the ball over (11.6 per game). Last night, they had 6 turnovers in the first quarter and 16 for the game. In any sport it is hard to win when you turn the ball over, and that is an area the Knicks must improve on if they want to contend in a loaded Eastern Conference.
Andrea Bargnani has been off to a rough start, and New Yorkers have let their voices be heard. While being subbed out in the first, he was booed loudly and the crowd gave a sarcastic cheer when Tim Hardaway Jr. was announced as his replacement. Hardaway Jr. gave the Knicks a much-needed spark in the second half with 2 highlight reel dunks, but also tried to do too much. He finished the game 0-7 from 3-point land and a disastrous 3-of-12 from the field. Overall the Knicks took 32 3-point attempts and only made 9. Coach Woodson after the game said he felt that they settle for too many 3’s and would like to see his team get to the basket more.
Not all was bad as the Knicks were able to mount a comeback late in the second half. Back to back three pointers by Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert cut the Wolves lead to 2 points with 4:49 left in regulation, but they Knicks would never come close again. Besides the 16 turnovers, the Knicks committed a series of fouls, sending the Wolves to the free-throw line 38 times. They also had no answer for Kevin Love who finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Love looks like his healthy self again, and the Wolves look like a team to keep an eye out for in the West as they improved to 3-0.
Other game notes- Amar’e Stoudemire did not play (coach’s decision). Kenyon Martin went past his ’10 minute limit’, finishing with 16. J.R. Smith was not with the team as he is currently serving his 5-game suspension for breaking the leagues substance abuse policy. Up next for the Knicks are the Charlotte Bobcats at MSG on Tuesday.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY