Mitchell Robinson's return to Knicks a boon for Karl-Anthony Towns
Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks controls the ball in the first half against Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Karl-Anthony Towns was driving for layups. He was dunking over multiple defenders. He was landing flat-footed three-pointers.
For a good three-minute stretch Monday night, it seemed that everything Towns touched was going through the net. So much so that after scoring 12 straight points, including two three-pointers, Towns ran by Josh Hart and told him to get him the ball at halfcourt.
Seconds later, Hart did just that, and Towns completed a record-setting 15-0 run by hitting a three-pointer from just inside the center-court logo.
“I wanted it that far away, I ain’t gonna lie,” Towns said after the Knicks' 116-95 win over Miami. “I was going to shoot the Hail Mary for sure. That was a heat check.”
Towns’ 15 straight points in the second quarter set a Knicks record for most consecutive points by an individual since play-by-play stats were first recorded in 1996-97. It passed the previous mark of 12 by Michael Sweetney in 2004.
It also was an apt illustration of just how dangerous the 7-foot Towns can be now that the Knicks also have big man Mitchell Robinson back to give him some relief.
Robinson, the Knicks' reserve center who missed the first 58 games of the season after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, played his eighth game on Monday night and logged a season-high 24 minutes off the bench. He finished with 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist.
“I feel good. I finally got my rhythm back,” Robinson said after his near double-double.
Robinson’s biggest impact, of course, has been on defense. Since Robinson returned on Feb. 28, the Knicks have the second-best defensive rating (108.2) in the league behind only Detroit. Contrast that with the Knicks’ defense rating 20th (118.8) before Robinson returned.
Some of the Knicks' defensive improvement can be attributed to Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson missing five of those eight games and his replacement, Miles McBride, is a stronger defensive player. Still, it’s hard to ignore the problems Robinson causes on offense for Knicks opponents even if he has averaged only 16.1 minutes of play.
“He’s such a huge factor,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Robinson. “Particularly when you have him and KAT out there together, you have two 7-footers. And then when OG Anunoby is on the frontline with them also, you’re just so long, the basket’s protected.
“I think the rim protection, Mitch’s ability to get out on the perimeter, defend pick-and-roll, challenge shots, cover a lot of ground, and make a second or third effort to be up on the pick-and-roll and then still get back to rebound and change shots [has been big]. I think his timing is coming around and he’s moving great.”
Robinson wasn’t on the floor when Towns made his second-quarter run, but being available in relief has made it easier for Towns to do more on offense.
In the third quarter, the Knicks fielded an imposing lineup of Robinson and Towns in the frontcourt along with Anunoby and Mikal Bridges on the wings. The group helped hold Miami’s offense to only15 points in the period.
As the Knicks move into the homestretch of the season, Thibodeau is using whatever minutes he can to see what his big men can do together, which is why Towns played nine fourth-quarter minutes Monday when the game was already pretty much decided
“Just his presence alone adds to our defense,” Towns said of Robinson. “It adds a lot to our team. He gives us a chance to get real versatile with our lineups. Today I think with me and him in the '4' and '5,' it caused, I think, a lot of problems.”
Of course, causing problems for a Miami team that has lost eight straight and competing with the elite of the league are two different things. The Knicks, however, can only play the opponent in front of them. When presented with a struggling team like Miami, it’s encouraging to see them both get the win and then work out some things — like playing Towns and Robinson together — that they will need to use to beat the best teams in the league.
The Knicks will get three more chances this week to pick up wins and work on their lineup combinations as they play at San Antonio Wednesday, at Charlotte Thursday and host Washington on Saturday. All three teams are lottery-bound.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
