Eric Adams’ swagger certainly didn’t rub off on the Knicks.
With the City’s new mayor in attendance for the MLK matinee, the Knicks combined poor shooting with suspect defense in a 97-87 ugly defeat Monday at MSG.
It snapped their three-game winning streak as struggles permeated the roster, with Julius Randle (6-for-16 shooting), Evan Fournier (2-for-9), RJ Barrett (7-for-18, six turnovers) and Alec Burks (1-for-4) all contributing performances they’d like to forget.
A victory would’ve moved the Knicks (22-22) into a tie with the Hornets (24-20) for seventh in the East, but they instead went ice cold and fell to 10th. The Knicks shot a remarkably inefficient 11-for-21 from the foul line.
The misfiring was embodied by Fournier’s breakaway dunk attempt in the third quarter, which he clanged off the back of the rim. The ball bounced over the backboard and out of bounds.
On the other end, the Knicks were roasted by Miles Bridges, who dropped a career-high 38 points in 39 minutes with 12 boards. He buried the Knicks soon after tipoff with 22 points in the first quarter.
Adams, the self-proclaimed swagger mayor of swag-town, addressed the crowd pregame about MLK Day before stumbling over his favorite Knicks during the MSG Network telecast.
“Yes I was [a Knicks fan],” the Brooklyn native said. “I love it. Who didn’t want to see Clyde and Frazier and DeBusschere and Earl Monroe on the court? The whole team on the court. I love the Knicks and it really instilled an inspiration that we need today.”
Ironically, Adams flubbed Frazier’s name while seated next to the Hall of Famer at the scorer’s table.
The Knicks were again missing Kemba Walker, who sat for the ninth straight game because of his sore arthritic knee. The messaging on Walker’s injury has been off. He’s been characterized as day-to-day and close to returning for two weeks. So Thibodeau’s updates on the point guard should now be taken with a grain of salt.
Thibodeau pulled Walker from the rotation earlier this season and may not be so eager to bring him back with Burks rolling.
The Hornets didn’t have LaMelo Ball, who was a late scratch because of a non-COVID illness. Bridges picked up the slack.
The Knicks passed on Bridges in the 2018 to draft Kevin Knox, which can officially be rendered a terrible decision. Knox was traded last week with a future first-round pick for Cam Reddish, whose debut with the Knicks has been delayed by an ankle injury. Bridges, who is developing into a star at 23 years old, was on the Knicks’ radar — along with Mikal Bridges — but then-team president Steve Mills picked Knox ninth overall.
