Still smarting from the previous day’s drubbing by the Lakers, the Knicks (41*-25) bounced over to the Intuit Dome to challenge the LA Clippers (32-32). Redemption was not in the cards, however. The visitors spent most of the night digging out of holes they had dug themselves. 20 turnovers, cold shooting, and long Clippers runs kept New York chasing almost all night. With another All-Star performance by Kawhi Leonard (29 PTS, 8 AST, 7 RBS, 2 STL) and strong support from Darius Garland (23 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL),
the Clips had little trouble securing their 126-118 victory.
Quoth Allzingers, “Effort was good all game, execution was not.” They sure seemed to be trying out there, but bad pass after bad pass killed them. And it didn’t help to get only four first-half points from everyone not named Towns, Brunson, or Anunoby.
The Knicks opened the game with more turnovers than your neighborhood bakery. The Clippers drilled three straight triples for a 9–0 lead, while missed shots and three giveaways in three minutes only deepened New York’s hole. Leonard was a menace on both ends of the floor through the period, logging seven points and a steal.
Jalen Brunson (28 PTS, 8 ASTS) took charge, scoring most of the points on a 10-3 run. For a while, he and Karl-Anthony Towns (35 PTS, 12 RBS, 7 AST) provided almost all of New York’s offense, with the wings bricking their first five attempts. When OG Anunoby (22 PTS, 2 STL) finally hit from deep, midway through the frame, Ty Lue needed a timeout. Whatever he said seemed to work, because after OG added a game-tying free throw, the Clippers rattled off seven unanswered points.
A neck sprain made Landry Shamet (9 PTS, 3-12 3PT) questionable for yesterday’s game, and he missed all three of his field goal attempts in tonight’s first quarter. We assume that neck pain can throw a shooter off. Meanwhile, after scoring as many points as you did against the Lakers, Mikal Bridges’ slump carried on as he misfired on two more shots. He’d finish with seven points, seven boards, and two steals on 3-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes.
New York’s seven first-quarter turnovers tied a season high and directly led to 11 Clippers points. By the end of the period, the Knicks trailed 28–24, with Brunson pouring in 13 of their points.
Early in the second quarter, Anunoby scored back-to-back at the rim and gave his team their first lead. It wouldn’t last. The home team went on a 10-1 run that featured scores by Bennedict Mathurin (28 PTS, 7 RBS), Brook Lopez (16 PTS), and Garland. Then, on a missed driving layup, Towns jammed his knee and favored it through the rest of the quarter. Given that KAT was one of only three Knicks producing anything on offense, this was an especially worrisome development.
After missing nine shots over five and a half quarters, Bridges finally canned a nine-foot jumper. Every time the Knicks put together a few points, L.A. swatted them back. Leonard steadily poured in the points. With a minute and a half left, The Claw scored eight points to give his team an 11-point lead. By intermission, his club was up 64-55.
Through the half, Los Angeles shot 53% overall and 45% from three (9-for-20), while New York went 46% and 29%. The Knicks dominated the boards (25-16), but their 10 turnovers turned into 18 Clippers points. Towns had 21 points, Brunson had 19, and Anunoby had 11. The other seven Knicks combined for four points. For the home team, Leonard had 21 points.
Third quarter: more turnovers, more misses. The visitors continued to spin their wheels in the mud while the Clippers steadily stretched their lead. Mathurin turned up the heat, scoring 12 points in the quarter, with cuts, transition finishes, and second-chance points.
Down by 15 midway through the frame, the Knicks tried to punch back. Josh Hart buried a three from the wing, and Landry Shamet later added another—his first after eight tries. Off the bench, rookie Mohamed Diawara provided a short jolt of energy with a driving dunk and a late three, and Jalen Brunson found his rhythm in the final minutes with a string of floaters and pull-ups. Still, the Clippers never lost control and took an 88-81 lead into the final frame.
In the fourth, New York managed to cut the deficit to six, thanks to a three-pointer from Bridges and more free throws by Towns. Their inability to get stops offset any hint of momentum, though, with Garland, Mathurin, and Leonard continuing to score. Coach Mike Brown subbed in Tyler Kolek to rest Brunson, perhaps looking for more offense than the zero that Jose Alvarado had given in his eight minutes. Kolek survived for two minutes before getting the hook.
Midway through the frame, KAT scored on a layup and then blocked Mathurin, which led to a Shamet trey that cut the differential to seven. Of note: Bridges was subbed out at 6:51 and did not return in the game.
On an 11-3 run, capped by an Anunoby longball, the score was 109-104 with just under four minutes remaining. But Brook Lopez swished from 26 feet at the other end. Following that were turnovers by Brunson and Shamet, and it seemed like the Knicks were deadset on gifting this one to the Angelenos. Josh Hart cut the deficit to six with a layup at the two-minute mark, but Derrick Jones, Jr., responded with an effortless triple, then Leonard made some free throws to restore an 11-point lead.
In the last minute, OG dunked, Shamet swished, and Garland missed a free throw. The glimmer of hope was faint, but detectable. After Brunson hit a jumper with 37 seconds left, and the score was 121-116, New York fouled Garland, who made 1-of-2. Out of a timeout, our heroes missed three tries at the rim before fouling Mathurin with 20 seconds left. The glimmer was gone. The game was over.
Up Next
In the fourth game of the five-game road trip, New York travels to Utah to play the Jazz on Wednesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, shouldn’t it?
