CHARLOTTE, N.C. — First was Miles McBride, greeted as he walked to the Knicks’ bench with a high five from an enthusiastic Tom Thibodeau. The other four Knicks received one as well.
Clearly, the notoriously-demanding Thibodeau was pleased by what he was seeing, as the Knicks were in the process of dismantling the Hornets, 121-102, at Spectrum Center on Friday night.
“Hey man, that’s a sign you’re doing something good,” RJ Barrett joked.
McBride had just treated his body like a crash dummy, laying out for a loose ball that led to a Barrett layup that gave the Knicks a commanding 23-point lead with 9:12 remaining.
“I love plays like that. When a guy makes a big-time effort play like that, those things do nothing but unite and inspire the team,” Thibodeau gushed. “If you can’t get excited about those types of plays, you can’t get excited about anything. They’re giving their bodies up. It’s great hustle.
“That’s the thing that you love about him — he never quits on a play. He deflected, dove, he did so many things on the play. Big-time multiple effort [play].”
The Knicks have been doing more of those things lately, and not just in this rout over a terrible, injury-riddled team. Since that ugly loss at home to the Thunder on Nov. 13, they have made slow but steady progress. The Knicks are now 7-6 in their last 13 games, and three of the defeats were by a combined 13 points to the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies. They have won three straight, equaling their season high, and have done it the Thibodeau way: with defense.
“I think we’re just playing hard and that’s really it,” said Quentin Grimes, who has become a linchpin of the starting lineup because of his defense. “Just playing hard, covering for people’s mistakes, not worrying if someone gets scored on.”
Said Julius Randle: “That’s really why we’re winning games.”
The Knicks, back at .500 at 13-13, have held their last three opponents — the Cavaliers, Hawks and Hornets (7-19) — to 20 of 97 (20.6 percent) shooting from 3-point range. Only a fast offensive finish from Charlotte in garbage time precluded the Knicks from holding a third straight opponent under 100 points.
Grimes and McBride have given the Knicks an infusion of youth, and two defensive-minded players who have elevated them from an athleticism standpoint on the perimeter.
“You see it,” Barrett said. “Playing aggressively the whole entire game, they’ve had a lot to do with it.”
The improvements of late on the defensive end have enabled the Knicks to survive a few shaky performances from Jalen Brunson, who missed 13 of his 16 shots in the win. He did have 11 assists and a plus-13 rating in 27 minutes.
Randle and Barrett, meanwhile, combined for 59 points. After missing his first four shots, Barrett hit eight in a row. Grimes and Isaiah Hartenstein added 11 apiece and McBride had 10 as part of a balanced effort. Randle was the offensive star, scoring 33 points in his second straight 30-plus scoring game.
“He’s cooking,” said Barrett, who also had seven rebounds and four assists. “We need him to keep doing that.”
Afterward, Randle deflected praise from himself to the Knicks’ defensive improvements of late. Offense, he pointed out, hasn’t been an issue for the Knicks.
It’s what led Thibodeau to give his players those uncharacteristic high-fives. Of course, a few minutes later after a turnover and transition dunk for the Hornets, he was back to waving his arm in displeasure.
“It’s going to happen,” Barrett said with a shrug.
Baby steps, apparently.
