Much like their recent win over the Bulls, the Knicks allowed their opponent to stick with them all night. What ensued was a game in which they made things much more difficult than it needed to be.
But as expected, they turned it on in the final quarter. The Knicks outscored the Nets 28-11 in the final period to make it 15 straight wins over the Nets. Let's hand out some grades.
Where would've the Knicks been without Landry Shamet? This was the kind of signature Shamet game the Knicks benefitted from so many times last season. The guard went 6-8 from the field, 4-6 from three, and a perfect 6-6 from the field for 22 points in just 29 minutes and was a big reason the Knicks came away with a win.
The forward has started the season in very interesting fashion. His increased offensive responsibilities, improved ability to get to the free throw line, and growth as a passer has been a nice storyline . But his decision making and early season tendency to force things at times has also been a point of contention amongst some fans.
On Monday night, he looked a bit more under control and was his old, efficient self. Anunoby scored 17 points on just nine shots -- seven of them from three. And he did that while recording two steals and one block. It was a very nice overall performance from Anunoby.
Entering the fourth quarter, Josh Hart's minutes were unusually low due to some foul troubles and Shamet's exceptional performance. But Hart, fresher than usual, saved his best for last.
In the opening minutes of the final quarter, he was a major catalyst in the Knicks' hot start to the quarter. While he rarely looked for his shot, he was efficient when he did shoot. And he stuffed the stat sheet in true Hart fashion, finishing the night with six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
Four makes on 11 shots isn't great, especially for Towns' abilities and standards. That being said, it was nice to see him remain dominant on the boards, dish out four assists, play some solid defense and end the night as a +16. But he did also commit four turnovers and struggled from three. Towns does get a pass though as this was his only real stinker of the season so far.
The backup guard wasn't as explosive as Shamet was but provided some really solid minutes, especially defensively, where he was active as usual. Aside from his two threes, though, Miles McBride didn't do much else offensively and his disappointing start to the season continues .
Clarkson continues to get limited minutes but the team s eems to always play better when he's on the court . He finished the night with an absurd +17 in just 11 minutes.
The third-year point guard didn't do a whole lot but he was on the floor when the team went on what ended up being the game-defying run to begin the fourth quarter. Even though his stats don't show much, it was nice to see him get Brown's trust after a rocky game against the 76ers .
Jalen Brunson was the only Knick not named Shamet who looked interested in scoring the ball over the first three quarters. The captain finished the night with another inefficient shooting night and he struggled again both from three and the free throw line.
The Knicks' backup center continues to be an enigma . On some nights, he looks great, on others, not so much. Monday night's game against the Nets was a rare occasion in which he was somewhere in between. He wasn't awful but he also didn't provide much outside os his nine rebounds.
In his first game back from a three-game absence, Jose Alvarado was used sparingly. He played just nine minutes, took one shot, and recorded a block. Interestingly, it was the aforementioned Kolek, not Alvarado, who got the call to begin the fourth quarter when the game was still close.
Over his first two seasons and change, we've seen Bridges have games where he just takes himself out of the game offensively. This wasn't that. He was aggressive and continued to look for his shot even when they weren't going in. But he finished the night with just 16 minutes.
Sure Shamet played a lot due to his hot shooting. Yet, seeing as Hart and Anunoby both dealt with some foul troubles at different points, it was odd seeing Bridges play so little. He was by no meant good but his "benching" felt a little unnecessary.
Despite entering the season with a lot of expectations, Diawara has barely played this season . On Monday night, he got his first sniff of non-garbage playing time but failed to do much with it. In six minutes, he was a -5, recorded one rebound, and missed his only shot.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/knicks/onsi as Grading Every Knicks Player After Big 4th Quarter Fuels Win Over Nets .
