Game Thread: New York Knicks @ Houston Rockets 5/2/2021 8:00 pm [Game #64]

The New York Knicks, who play at Houston on Sunday, are on the verge of something memorable, an accomplishment their diehard fans have waited eight long years to experience at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks claimed their 10th win in 11 games Wednesday by defeating the Chicago Bulls 113-94. The victory represented a rebound from the end of their nine-game winning streak and inched the Knicks closer to securing their first playoff berth since the 2012-13 season.

The Knicks (35-28) will open their final trip of the season on Sunday against the Rockets. They will do so positioned in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with just nine games remaining in the regular season.

After missing out on the playoffs in each of the previous seven seasons, qualifying for the playoffs would mark a seismic shift for a franchise with a revered history, but one that has labored recently to cobble together anything positive.

But with seemingly the right pieces finally in place, the Knicks are within range of achieving their primary goal entering this season. The playoffs would mark the start of a burgeoning collective.

"I'm excited for what this team can be," Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle said. "Our growth, how much we can improve. We've just got to lock in and keep doing it."

The upcoming road trip could serve as one final measuring stick for the Knicks.

After playing the Rockets (16-48), the Knicks will face five consecutive Western Conference playoff contenders, including four title favorites in the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.

Given the strides the Knicks have made this season, the temptation is to look ahead at what's to come after the Rockets serve as the first obstacle.

But looking ahead would be a departure from what the Knicks have done to get this far.

"For us, and we talked about it after the game, nothing changes," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "When you begin the season, you think about all the things you have to prepare yourself for, and so you don't want to look ahead, you don't want to look behind. The only thing we're thinking about is Houston.

"You take it step by step and get yourself ready to play, and when the ball goes up, we've got to find a way to win, and it's really that simple. So don't get lost in looking at it's the end of the season, how many games are left, or however long the road trip is. For us it's just ... let's be ready for Houston when the ball goes up."

The Rockets, losers of 11 of their past 13, fell 113-87 to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in the first game of a back-to-back, with the Knicks arriving fresh off a three-day break.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas spent several moments after the setback speaking with Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter to pace the win. Silas was a Warriors assistant when Curry was a rookie in 2009-10.

"He was saying how happy he is for me and he's looking forward to seeing the turnaround when it happens here in Houston under my leadership," Silas said. "We went through times back when we were going through this point his rookie year."

--Field Level Media

(STATS / cbssports.com)

Knicks are 12-11 vs the WC. 7 of final 9 games vs WC.

Strong 1st quarter. Knicks lead by 10. Need to see a Knicks team that can stretch a lead against an inferior team tonight rather than one that lets it be a fight to the wire.

Not much to say today. This win seemed almost routine. We were the better team and we won decisively. It?s hard to believe how far this team has come in one season.

We?ve now won 11 of our last 12. Wow.

We?re 8 games above 0.500 with 8 games to go. Guaranteed 0.500 season or better!

We now have 2.5 games over the 7th seed. We are very much in the driver?s seat to avoid the play in and just flat out make the playoffs.

Thanks for the Game-Thread Rady .... Knick looked like a win-win team for 3 quarters grabbing a 22 point lead .. 93-71 Knicks.
Yes, we have a big game tomorrow against the Ja Morrant Grizzlies who are fighting hard to hold the West 8th seed.
Im glad Randle didnt have to play any minute of the 4th quarter, this way rookie Toppin can get some long minute of playingtime. Noel left the game with a injury in first half, which gave Taj extra playingtime.
Why 5 bench players did not receive double digits of playing-time tonight ???
Thibs short rotation of players are getting to look questionable for a playoff series !!!

Couldn't watch the game but another hot 3 pt shooting night, over 50% from deep. We are now tied with the Nets at 38.7% 3pt fg% for 4th best in the NBA. I said Thibs should be taking as many 3s as that D'Ants Rockets team, with the top 3 pt shooting teams taking between 39.7 (Clips) to 49% (Jazz) of their shots from 3, we shoot 34% of our shots from deep. I don't think we're maximizing the hot 3 pt shooting by not taking more of them.

We have the same record as LAK (36-28).

We are fifth in NBA in team 3-point shooting, behind BKLN by just .10 (38.7%).

We have a top ranked defense, even without our starting C.

8 games remain. We are up on BOS 3 on loss side, play them again and if we win will possess tiebreaker. We own tiebreaker vs ATL..

We should be good for 4-6, and if we go 4-4 I guess we secure the 4th seed (home court first round).

@MEM
@DEN
@PHO
@LAC
@LAK
SA
CHA
BOS

No small task. Sign up for 3-5?

mafra said:

We have the same record as LAK (36-28).

We are fifth in NBA in team 3-point shooting, behind BKLN by just .10 (38.7%).

We have a top ranked defense, even without our starting C.

8 games remain. We are up on BOS 3 on loss side, play them again and if we win will possess tiebreaker. We own tiebreaker vs ATL..

We should be good for 4-6, and if we go 4-4 I guess we secure the 4th seed (home court first round).

@MEM
@DEN
@PHO
@LAC
@LAK
SA
CHA
BOS

No small task. Sign up for 3-5?

Click to expand...

Pretty confident the boys can do better than 3-5, they aren’t flukes and may be one of the top teams in the league. These 8 will be a good test of how good the Knicks really are.

mafra said:

We have the same record as LAK (36-28).
We are fifth in NBA in team 3-point shooting, behind BKLN by just .10 (38.7%).
We have a top ranked defense, even without our starting C.
8 games remain. We are up on BOS 3 on loss side, play them again and if we win will possess tiebreaker. We own tiebreaker vs ATL..
We should be good for 4-6, and if we go 4-4 I guess we secure the 4th seed (home court first round).

@MEM = Knicks Loss
@DEN = Knicks Loss
@PHO = Knicks Loss
@LAC = Knicks Loss
@LAK = Knicks Loss
SA = Knicks Loss
CHA = Knicks Win
BOS = Knicks Loss

No small task. Sign up for 3-5?

Click to expand...

Coach Thibs short rotation need to get prepared for a losing streak that start on Monday's game vs the Grizz .. I see a 1-7 record starting with the Grizz fighting for their playoff birth.

Ten years ago, Derrick Rose was named the NBA MVP. He was the youngest player in league history to win the award.

Injuries robbed him of a chance to win the award again. But if you ask the Knicks, he?s as valuable as anyone on the roster.

Rose had 25 points on 15 shots in New York?s win over Memphis. He scored or assisted on 12 of the Knicks? final 18 points, helping the road team blow the game open late.


New York has won 11 of 12. With Monday?s win, the Knicks clinched their first winning season since 2012-13, the last time they made the playoffs.

And they wouldn?t be here without Rose, who has shot 39 percent from beyond the arc as a Knick and has served as a mentor on and off the court to New York?s young players.

?Whether he was the MVP of the league at 22 or 10 years later he's the same guy. He's always been a team-first guy and winning?s always at the forefront, he's always been a great teammate,? Tom Thibodeau, Rose?s coach for that MVP season, said Monday. ?He's happy when other people have success. He's most happy when the team wins. And whether he scores two points or he scores 20 points, he's the same guy.?

Rose knew that Monday was the 10-year anniversary of his MVP award when a family member mentioned it earlier in the day.

?It?s crazy. The story is crazy,? he said. ?But I?m just happy to still be here playing decent basketball. I?m very appreciative.

?As are Thibodeau and the Knicks. Entering Monday?s game, Rose?s net rating per 100 possessions was +13.2. That means the Knicks had outscored opponents by an average of 13 points per 100 possessions that Rose plays.

Not bad for a player acquired from Detroit for a second-round pick and Dennis Smith Jr.

As you?d imagine, Rose is having fun in New York, winning with Thibodeau again.

?We?re doing something quite unique here, playing with a sense of urgency,? he said. ?After the first half, we?re able to adjust. We?re reading the game. The coaching staff is doing a great job talking to us after games.

?The bench players are following behind the starters. They are setting the tone and the bench players talk along the sideline and see what the game needs before we get in the game. We already know how we?re going to play.?

https://www.sny.tv/articles/Derrick-Rose-knicks-MVP

World Wide Support
William Wesley has been to every Knick game ? home and road. On Sunday, MSG Network cameras showed Wesley firing up Julius Randle after he went off in the third quarter against Houston. On Monday, cameras showed Wesley celebrating the win over Memphis on the court with Thibodeau.

Randle said on Sunday that he appreciates Wesley being a vocal supporter on game nights.

?That?s Unc man, that?s Unc,? Randle said with a smile on Sunday. ??We here, we here?; he?s screaming it every day. He?s one of the biggest supporters out there, cheering for us every day.

?It?s amazing to have somebody like that in the front office be that in tune to the game and what we?re doing. It makes it a lot more fun. And it?s a family atmosphere. I enjoy it every day, personally.?

The Knicks have won 12 of their last 13.

They are 21-8 with Derrick Rose this season.