The New York Knicks were simply outrun by a younger Utah Jazz team Saturday night, falling short of victory in an upset by a score of 121-106. Utah snaps the Knicks’ four-game winning streak and improves to 4-12 while New York falls to 9-7.
The Knicks struggled shooting against the Jazz
The Knicks entered this game as one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA, but they couldn’t buy a bucket Saturday against the Jazz.
New York shot just 39% from the floor and 33.3% from three. They were getting clean looks early but could not get them to fall. Karl-Anthony Towns, who entered the game shooting above 50% from both the field and from three, had his worst shooting performance thus far on just 6-for-19 from the floor and 1-for-9 from three.
Jalen Brunson also struggled, as he shot 2-for-9 from outside the arc. Mikal Bridges couldn’t find any rhythm, as he went just 3-for-15 from the floor and 1-for-7 from three with just seven points. Bridges was benched down the stretch of the game in favor of Cameron Payne.
The Knicks were a step slow defensively
The Knicks suddenly had life in the third quarter when they capped off a 17-0 run to cut a 19-point deficit to just two. However, like most of the night, they struggled to stay consistent defensively as they let the Jazz regain the momentum to pull away late.
Utah made 19 threes on 34 attempts, including six from Collin Sexton, and they dominated the rebound battle 52-40. Their big lineup that features a frontcourt of Lauri Markannen and Walker Kessler was too much for the Knicks to contain down low, as the Jazz scored 46 points in the paint.
The Jazz made light work of the Knicks’ poor defense, an area which has plagued them all season. It will be tough sledding on that end of the floor until Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa can return to the floor.
OG Anunoby was the lone bright spot for the Knicks
OG Anunoby was the only Knick who had it going offensively. He finished with 27 points, his most since being traded to them last season. He also knocked down seven threes on 12 attempts and recorded three steals and two blocks on the night.
Anunoby continues to take on a much larger role offensively, which is huge for the Knicks in terms of their depth. He has now scored 20 or more points in four of his last seven games.
Overview
This game was easily the Knicks’ worst loss of the season given who their opponent was. They will now look to shake off this ugly loss and look to bounce back against a more formidable opponent on Monday when they take on the Denver Nuggets.