The New York Knicks opened their preseason on a high note, defeating the Charlotte Hornets on the road in a tightly contested game, winning by a score of 111-109.
This game marked the unofficial Knicks debuts for their blockbuster offseason acquisitions Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The two got plenty of action along with the starters in the first half as they tried to form some chemistry before the regular season.
The reserves got all of the minutes in the second half, and some encouraging minutes from their young guards are a reason to be excited about the bench unit. This group has a lot of questions coming into the season following the loss of Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein over the summer.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns were solid in their Knicks debuts
Bridges and Towns both showed a hint of what they could bring to the Knicks in the preseason opener. Bridges played 13 minutes and logged four points on 2-5 shooting from the floor. He scored the team’s first bucket in the opening quarter with a reverse layup on a nice feed from Josh Hart.
Towns was a tad inefficient in his first Knicks game less than a week after the trade, as he was just 2-7 from the floor and 1-5 from three. However, he did score 10 points and grab four rebounds in 15 minutes. Being that it is just the preseason and that he is still trying to re-learn head coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, growing pains are to be expected.
Jalen Brunson led the way in scoring for New York with 12 points on 5-11 shooting (2-4 from three) in 15 minutes of action. This was his first game action since suffering a broken hand in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year, so it is encouraging to see him not miss a step in his game.
The Knicks bench gave them good minutes in the preseason opener
The Knicks’ bench has a lot of unknowns coming into the season after their depth was depleted over the summer. However, they provided some very solid minutes against Charlotte, with Miles McBride leading the way in the second unit with a team-high 22 points on 8-18 shooting and 4-9 from three.
Landry Shamet, who the Knicks signed on a non-guaranteed deal a few weeks ago, made a strong case for him to earn to a roster spot Sunday. He scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting and 4-8 from downtown in 25 minutes of action, showing off his elite shooting ability off the catch-and-shoot.
Rookie guard Tyler Kolek also saw the floor a good amount, and he continued to flash the potential he put on display in Summer League back in July. The Marquette product played 14 minutes and scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting from outside the arc. He only recorded one assist, opting to take over as more of a scorer this time around, which has tended to be an overlooked part of his game.
The Knicks’ defense wasn’t perfect in the preseason opener
Of course, not every win is a perfect one, and the Knicks had a hard time containing the Hornets’ shooters. Charlotte shot 50% from the floor and knocked down 17 three-pointers. They also won the rebound battle 46-39.
However, poor free throw shooting from Charlotte (55%) and costly turnovers (20 on the night) led to their demise. Luckily for the Knicks, they were able to sneak away with a win even though Precious Achiuwa fouled Duane Washington Jr. on a three-point attempt in the final seconds, but Washington missed all three attempts at the charity stripe.
The Knicks will have a couple of days off before they play their second preseason game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, where they will head back to Madison Square Garden to kick off the NBA year in their hometown.