Knicks 113, Nets 105: “He’s in a nice rhythm heading into the playoffs’”

Thibs goes with vets in the last game of the regular season with no implications, and they reward him with glowing performances

We all tuned into the Knicks’ afternoon matinee against the Nets expecting a meaningless contest between a team that has clinched the playoffs, and a team that has been eliminated for quite some time now. And while the game ultimately ended up being meaningless for the most part, Cameron Payne, Precious Achiuwa, and Tom Thibodeau didn’t really get the memo. And if those three didn’t get the memo that the game had no significance, then Landry Shamet didn’t even know that memos existed.

With the starters (minus Mikal Bridges, who played all of six seconds to continue his consecutive games streak) all sitting out the game, the Knicks trotted out Deuce McBride, and, P.J. Tucker, who was fouling early, and often, along with the aforementioned Payne, Achiuwa, and Shamet. Achiuwa got the Knicks off to a hot start, scoring 12 first-quarter points, which was the most he’s ever had in an opening period. But he wasn’t the only one scoring at will to start the game. Shamet chipped in nine points, going three of three from three, while Payne added another eight points.

But the Nets were getting almost anything they wanted on the other end as well. 25-year-old guard Tyrese Martin scored nine of his 20 points in the first quarter, while Jalen Wilson connected on a pair of threes to score six, Nic Claxton scored five, and Keon Johnson scored four. After a back-and-forth high scoring 12 minutes, the New York led Brooklyn 38-37.

From thereon out though, the game slowed down a bit. Neither team managed to score more than 29 points in a quarter, and a lot of the shots that were going down early stopped doing so except for Shamet. The veteran wing, who struggled mightily from three earlier on in the season, continued his hot shooting, scoring eight more points in the second quarter. But the period was less about what the Knicks did, as it belonged to the Nets. And in particular, it belonged to Trendon Watford. The undrafted rookie, who the Nets seem to like a lot, had 11 points, 2 steals, a rebound, and one assist in a quarter the Nets won by five. After 24 minutes of play, the Nets went into halftime up 66-62.

While the Nets’ offensive struggle only got worse in the second half, not much changed for the Knicks, as it was a lot of Shamet, and Payne, with some more fouls from Tucker, who started the third quarter with two fouls in the first 40 seconds. McBride led the way early on in the third quarter, scoring seven of his 17 points in the quarter, and Payne and Shamet added another six points, and five points respectively. Meanwhile, New York’s increased intensity on the defensive end, along with Brooklyn’s sudden inability to make threes, led to the Nets scoring just 17 points all quarter, giving the Knicks a five-point cushion heading into the final 12 minutes.

In what was the Nets’ final quarter of their season, Watford again looked good, scoring another nine points, but it was, yup, you guessed it, Shamet who closed the deal for the Knicks. The 27-year-old not only set a career-high in minutes, but he also set the record for most points off the bench by a Knick this season and came just two points away from tying his career-high of 31 points. As Mike Breen alluded to during today’s broadcast on MSG, “he’s in a nice rhythm heading into the playoffs.”

Now, Thibodeau likely continued to make some enemies today, hence the earlier mention that he might not have gotten the message about today being meaningless. This game could’ve and arguably should’ve, been used to give the Knicks’ rookies some much-needed needed experience-something Thibodeau obviously wasn’t inclined to do.

But it did serve as a nice final dress rehearsal for a pair of bench players who will be relied on in their limited, but very important minutes off the bench in the playoffs. Sure, it would’ve been nice to see Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Kevin McCullar Jr. all play 35 minutes, but it is admittedly comforting in a different way knowing that the pair of veteran bench players, along with McBride, all seemed primed to have solid postseasons.

Quite shoutout to McBride, who passed former Knick Evan Fournier (278 threes) for 25th on the Knicks all-time three-pointers made list, and McCullar Jr. who impressed fans, and both Breen and Walt Clyde Frazier with his intensity, and activity.

And another quick shoutout to the Nets’ Claxton, who has now lost 10 consecutive games against the Knicks since saying he had never lost to the Knicks in his career.