Final regular-season games not meaningless to Knicks
New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum works the ball against New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Friday, April 7, 2023. Credit: AP
NEW ORLEANS — The Knicks’ RJ Barrett sat at his locker before Friday night’s game against the Pelicans, eating a plate of plain white rice in a city renowned for its cuisine. He skipped the Cajun fare for a chance to get through the illness that sidelined him the previous two games.
Julius Randle was back in New York rehabilitating his sprained ankle, Jalen Brunson was taking another right hand maintenance day and Mitchell Robinson was out resting. Barrett could have taken the night off, too, but he rarely asks out.
“I felt OK,’’ Barrett said after scoring 28 points but going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc in the Knicks’ 113-105 loss. “I tried to do what I could, tried to go out there and play hard, give what I’ve got . . . I felt good out there to play again, especially after a couple of games. Definitely needed it.”
So while much of the league was practicing load management — or outright tanking — Barrett was on the court for a team-high 36 minutes and Josh Hart was diving across the floor for a loose ball in the final minutes. And in a game that meant nothing in the standings for the Knicks, they played the Pelicans to the final minute.
“We fought,’’ Barrett said. “We’re going to fight every single game, give it everything we’ve got. That’s what this team is. Whoever is on the court, we think we can win. I think we showed that tonight. Crucial game for them, they made some tough plays down the stretch. We fought. I’m proud of the way we played.’’
Tom Thibodeau had three players who will be in the playoff rotation — Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin — all play at least 40 minutes Wednesday in Indiana. Grimes played 33 this time and Quickley scored 24 points in 30 minutes. Hart played 33 minutes off the bench.
For the Knicks (47-34), already secured in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a first-round playoff matchup against the Cavaliers, the game meant nothing in the standings. But for Thibodeau, everything matters. So while the Knicks hope to get Randle back at full strength for the playoffs, they are planning for all contingencies, and these games provide an opportunity for that.
“Yeah, you prepare for everything,” Thibodeau said. “So just take it day by day. What we’re getting a look at right now: Sometimes when you look at the silver lining — and obviously we want Julius back and we miss him — but the silver lining is we’re getting Josh minutes at the four, Obi more minutes, so he’s getting rhythm there.
“And then obviously we wouldn’t have that opportunity, so whatever we could take from that, we want to turn anything that’s negative into a positive. I think, being mentally tough, when you hit adversity, you find a different way to get it done. But we still gotta get it done.”
Toppin responded Wednesday with 32 points, joining Quickley and Grimes with at least 30 points each. For a player who has seen sparse playing time, getting consistent minutes and offensive opportunities allows him to enter the postseason in a rhythm he hasn’t had.
Notes & quotes: One player who does not want to take a breather is Isaiah Hartenstein, who has played in every game this season and noted that he previously was never able to experience that . . .
Thibodeau was asked if he had any reaction to the comments from Mavericks governor Mark Cuban regarding Brunson’s departure. “None. I’m just worried about where we are right now,” he said. “So New Orleans, get ready for today. What happened yesterday doesn’t matter. What happens tomorrow doesn’t matter. Just stay locked in today.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
