In a hard-fought defensive battle against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday evening, the New York Knicks barely picked up a loss, going sub .500 for the first time in a few weeks. By a score of 101-100, the Knicks once again find themselves wondering what went wrong, as they put forth one of the best defensive performances of the year but simply didn’t have the clutch shooting to get it done down the line.
Ultimately, 76ers small forward Danny Green was the catalyst in their victory, hitting two clutch three-point shots at the end of the game with RJ Barrett in his face. Those few points ended up being the difference-maker, and while A-Star Julius Randle tried his best, even hitting a game-tying shot in the final seconds, he missed a rim rattler to end the game. Another close and tough defeat for New York, who is just one star player away from being an extremely competitive team that can edge out close victories.
The New York Knicks pick up a loss and another negative:
The loss wasn’t the only negative thing they walked away with, as center Mitchell Robinson picked up an ankle sprain. He appeared to twist his ankle after returning from a fractured hand on Sunday, missing 15 games. In the loss, Robinson scored four points and picked up six rebounds. While his influence was minimal in his return, he showed a burst of energy the Knicks have lacked at times, running the length of the floor and doing his best to help New York over the hump.
Luckily, the injury doesn’t seem to be anything too serious, as the twist looked minor, and he stayed in the game for the next possession.
Prior to the start of the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed caution with Robinson and that they would ease him into the lineup.
“He’ll probably come off the bench and then we’ll see where that goes. But eventually he’ll be back in the starting lineup,†Thibodeau said. “It was a hand injury so he was able to do quite a bit of cardio. But it’s different than playing in a game. We’ll watch it closely with our medical staff and we’ll see where he is when he gets out there.â€
We will keep an eye on the ankle sprain, and while it could keep them out for a game or two, I don’t expect it to be anything too serious.