BBNBA: Trae Young, Hawks ice Julius Randle-less Knicks in MSG
The BBNBA was quiet on Tuesday, with just two games featuring former ‘Cats while Julius Randle had the night off. But the good news is, now we have extra space to talk about Boogie Cousins, and that’s all I really care about. Let’s jump right in.
Shorthanded Knicks fold late under Ice Trae barrage
There’s something about watching Trae Young and the Hawks torch the Knicks in front of 15,000 angry fans that just feels right. Not because I don’t like the Knicks — I really do. But the hate that those New York fans harbor for a six-foot-nothing man with hair like Kramer from Seinfeld is really beautiful. And that hate’s only grown stronger after what he did to them last night:
Believe it or not, the Knicks led this game by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Even with Julius Randle sidelined by a sore quad, they controlled the game for much of the night. R.J. Barrett scored 30, and Immanuel Quickley stepped up with big shots like this one, which gave New York its largest lead:
IQ finished with 17 points on 3-5 shooting from deep, his fourth straight contest scoring 15+. But it shouldn’t be any surprise he looked good out there on a night he rolled in like this:
Still, you can’t hold down a man possessed — and that’s what Trae Young is when he steps into MSG. The Atlanta point man dropped seven points in the last three minutes, leading his team on a 15-6 run to close out the victory. Was there ever any doubt?
The Knicks dropped to 30-42 with this latest L, which is good for 12th out of 15 in the East. They face the ninth-place Hornets Wednesday night in Charlotte.
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Jokic-Cousins duo leads to win vs. Clippers
Ever since entering the league, DeMarcus Cousins has had more than his fair share of doubters. Since his string of brutal injury luck, many dismissed him altogether. His latest stint with the Nuggets makes for his seventh different NBA jersey in the past five years. But this time, it seems to be working.
In 22 games for Denver, Cousins is averaging 22.7 points, 4.4 assists and 14.6 rebounds per-36 minutes. Those are both major upticks from recent years, and the rebounding rate is a career-high. He’s adjusting well to the altitude, to say the least.
Of course, it never hurts having an MVP candidate to battle against in practice. The Nikola Jokic-Boogie Cousins 1-2 punch has become one of the most lethal center combos in the game of late. It’s so good, they’re starting to rub off on each other:
Cousins recorded a workmanlike eight points, five rebounds and two assists on Tuesday, doing the little things to help Denver earn a 12-point win over the Clippers. Jokic dropped 30 & 14, which is OK too I guess.
If this team gets Jamal Murray back for the playoffs? Fahgettaboudit.
News & Notes:
- Julius Randle has been fined $40,000 for directing “hostile language” toward an official on Sunday. Not cool! But to be fair if I played for that team, I’d probably say worse things.
- Pistons legend Isiah Thomas gave Devin Booker a shoutout on Twitter yesterday, calling for Book’s name to enter the MVP conversation. His response did not sound optimistic.
- Wednesday’s Game of the Day is Sixers-Lakers at 10:00 ET on ESPN. Can Tyrese Maxey put on another show in the house that Kobe built?
Full stats from Tuesday:
Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 117-111 L vs. ATL | 17 | 6-11 (3-5) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | +6 |
| DeMarcus Cousins (DEN) | 127-115 W vs. LAC | 8 | 4-7 (0-2) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | +2 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 127-115 L @ DEN | 6 | 3-4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +7 |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 117-111 W @ NYK | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 117-111 L vs. ATL | DNP – Leg Injury | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 117-111 L vs. ATL | DNP – Foot Injury | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 127-115 W vs. LAC | DNP – ACL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 – Knicks (Randle, Quickley, Noel*) @ Hornets (Washington, Richards)
7:00 – Hawks (Knox) @ Pistons (Diallo)
7:00 – Kings (Fox) @ Pacers (Jackson)
7:30 – Jazz @ Celtics
7:30 – Warriors @ Heat (Herro, Adebayo)
7:30 (ESPN) – Nets @ Grizzlies
8:00 – Suns (Booker) @ Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt)
8:00 – Magic @ Thunder (SGA, Sarr)
8:30 – Rockets (Wall*) @ Mavericks
10:00 (ESPN) – Sixers (Maxey) @ Lakers (Monk, Gabriel, Davis*)
10:00 – Spurs (Johnson) @ Trail Blazers (Bledsoe)
* – inactive
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