As shorthanded as the Knicks have been in recent games, things could have turned far worse — even disastrous — for Tom Thibodeau’s club.
Mitchell Robinson had the home crowd on its feet with several athletic plays at both ends in the fourth quarter, however, as the undermanned Knicks held off the team with the NBA’s worst record Tuesday night at the Garden. The Knicks allowed a 22-point lead to be cut to five before pulling out a 105-91 win over the Pistons to finally end their five-game home losing streak.
“A lot of credit to all the guys because there’s a lot of moving parts right now and to find a way to win is the most important thing,” Tom Thibodeau said following the Knicks’ first home win since Nov. 23 over the Lakers. “You can’t say enough about what Mitch did. That’s his best game right there. That’s a monster game. Big play after big play.”
Robinson, who finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots, said he “felt the same way” about his coach’s assessment. The 7-footer also believes that his conditioning finally is improving after so much inaction following March foot surgery.
“I was feeding off the energy that was all around us,” Robinson said. “The team was playing good, sharing the game, and I was just feeding off them, really.
“We’re down some guys right now, and everybody has to do extra.”
Robinson, who added the Knicks (14-17) held a recent team meeting in the locker room to “try to change this thing around,” wasn’t the only one to enjoy an overdue big night. Evan Fournier scored 22 points, Julius Randle registered 21 with 11 rebounds, and Kemba Walker also scored 21 as six players — RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox, Miles McBride and Immanuel Quickley — remained out due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
Derrick Rose also missed his second consecutive game with a sore right ankle, meaning Walker— who scored 29 points in 37 minutes in Saturday’s loss in Boston — was in the starting lineup again following a nine-game benching. The Bronx native scored nine of his 21 points in the final quarter and added eight rebounds and five assists over 39 minutes.
“I think I’m being more aggressive than I was the beginning of the season,” Walker said. “I think that was the biggest difference.”
Fournier netted five points as the Knicks pumped in the first 11 of the third to double a 48-37 halftime lead to 22, before the Pistons closed to within 80-69 entering the final quarter.
Detroit guard Saben Lee (16 points) converted a three-point play that drew the Pistons (5-25) within five with 8:55 remaining. But Robinson responded with a dynamic two-minute stretch in which he recorded a dunk, a put-back bucket and two blocked shots, including on a 3-point attempt by Lee, to propel the Knicks on a 12-2 run to push the lead back to 15.
“He was unbelievable tonight,” Walker said of Robinson. “Put so much pressure on the rim. On both ends.
“When he’s playing like that, he’s a beast. He’s a very special player, man. We’ve got to get him to continue that way.”
In turn, Thibodeau even indicated that Walker might keep playing when some of the COVID-stricken return if he continues to produce at this level.
“To me, I have to base it on what the players are doing right now,” Thibodeau said. “Whoever gives us the best chance to win, you are going to be in there. Performance matters.
“If you are playing well, you are going to be in there. That’s the way it works. I love Kemba. My job is to do what’s best for the team. He’s playing great basketball. All the credit in the world to him. But the team winning is the most important thing. When we win, yeah, it’s great.”
