Knicks rout Jazz and roll to 14-2 mark in January
Donte DiVincenzo of the Knicks reacts after a three-point basket in the second half against the Jazz at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
“Other guys have to step up” when injuries occur is a pretty normal statement in every sport.
How often does it happen, though? Well, it’s happening with the Knicks, who won their eighth in a row on Tuesday night at the Garden with a 118-103 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Madison Square Garden crowd enjoyed watching Donte DiVincenzo lead the team in scoring with 33 points, a tally that included a career-high nine three-pointers on 15 attempts.
“Donte is playing great basketball,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“You can’t say enough about what Josh Hart has [been doing] — triple-double. Getting really quality play out of a lot of people. Jalen was Jalen . . . Precious was phenomenal.”
DiVincenzo, who scored 28 in the Knicks’ win on Monday in Charlotte, was given a standing ovation when he came out of the game early in the fourth.
“Everybody was kind of just playing together,” DiVincenzo said. “You know there’s a big hole, a void, with two of our main guys out, so just playing collectively together and just catch and shoot aggressively.”
Achiuwa (starting for the injured Julius Randle) added 18 points and Isaiah Hartenstein (starting for the injured Mitchell Robinson) had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Hart (starting for the injured OG Anunoby) notched his first career triple-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).
Brunson orchestrated the offense with 29 points and nine assists. The Knicks finished with only five turnovers.
Quentin Grimes added 12 points off the bench.
The Knicks were without Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and Anunoby (right elbow inflammation) for the second straight game. That duo also missed Monday’s 113-92 victory at Charlotte. Robinson (ankle surgery) has been out since early December.
The Knicks improved to 31-17 and finished their January slate with a 14-2 record in the month and have moved alone into third place in the Eastern Conference.
It’s the most wins for the Knicks in a month since they went 15-3 in December 1968. The Knicks also won 14 games in November 1969 (14-1) and March 1994 (14-0).
Utah, which lost to the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday, fell to 24-25. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 22 points.
Are eight wins in a row enough? Not for these hungry Knicks, who continued to shake off the injuries with Tuesday’s victory in the opener of a six-game homestand.
“I think the focus has been really good,” Thibodeau said. “I think playing for each other has really been good. And we want to keep improving. But I think if you put the team first and you’re willing to sacrifice for the team, which we’ve got a number of guys doing that, and good things come from it.
“I think what makes it enjoyable is the winning. There’s always going to be a lot of great games, scoring and that sort of thing, but the winning is what makes it enjoyable.”
The Knicks fell behind early at 15-6, but stormed back and took a 29-22 lead after one quarter with DiVincenzo scoring 11 points.
The Knicks expanded the lead to 57-49 at the half as DiVincenzo scored eight more points to finish the half with 19 (5-for-9 on three-pointers).
Achiuwa scored nine of his 11 first-half points in the second quarter.
When Brunson hit a three-pointer with less than three minutes to go in the third, it gave the Knicks a 20-point lead at 86-66. But they weren’t done: DiVincenzo hit a super long three on the Knicks’ next possession to make it 89-66. The rout was on.
The Knicks welcomed back an old friend earlier Tuesday when they re-signed center/forward Taj Gibson to a 10-day contract for his fifth stint with the club. Gibson got in the game in the last minute.
“Right before I was gone, I already felt like the team was coming together,” Gibson said. “Guys were really creating a bond . . . just working together, playing for each other. And now it’s like the same to a new level. Everybody’s feeling a lot more confident. Guys are playing together. It was a great thing to see.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
