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Losing two games straight out West, the Knicks conclude their four game trip Tuesday night in Utah.
If the Knicks looked gassed for periods of their games in Sacramento and Portland, it’s no mirage. Says guard Austin Rivers, who has become the most outspoken player on a team since signing as a free agent in November.
The Utah game will mark the end of the Knicks’ pandemic schedule which has seen them play 12 of their first 19 on the road. They are not only fighting their opponents, but also the sheer amount of COVID-19 road trip protocols found in an 82-page NBA document.
“Oh, we’re really tired,” Rivers said after Tuesday morning’s shoot. “Our schedule, I would challenge anyone to put their schedule against ours. I don’t know how a schedule could be more difficult than what we played. Physically and mentally. At the same time, it is what it is. Here we are.”
The Knicks are 8-10 in their first 18 games – which is way better than preseason expectations. But head coach Tom Thibodeau is keeping a short rotation and, with injuries, key players have played monster minutes.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett haven’t missed a game and recently played 1-2 in minutes in the NBA.
Currently, Randle is second in average minutes (36.7) while Barrett fell in a virtual tie for the sixth (36.2) after being benched in the fourth quarter on Sunday in Portland.
Barrett looked like he had nothing left in the tank against the Blazers and finished with eight points, after a six-game spree when he averaged 21 points.
“We’re tired but we’re ready to go,” Rivers said. “You know what I mean? I just have to go out and compete and figure out how to win games every night. I think the most important thing, when you have a long season, the best way to approach those games is to trying to put a positive spin on everything, we lost two in a row, but at the same time we won our first game on this road trip.
Indeed, the Knicks started the trip with a moving 119-104 Golden State rout that bottled Stephen Curry in the second half in San Francisco. But they failed in Sacramento and Portland.
In the latter, the Knicks faced a very well-rested team that had a week off due to COVID-19 cancellations. The Knicks fell 70-50 at halftime before making a late charge behind rookie Immanuel Quickley to lose by 3.
After Utah, 11 of the Knicks’ next 16 games will be in the Fanless Garden, starting with Cleveland on Friday
“We can get out of this 2-2 road trip, .500 is solid,” Rivers said before the Utah game. “We can get out of that 2-2 trip and come home, that’s the way we need to see it now. It would be a great feeling for us to come here – it’s the hottest team in the NBA that we play. Utah plays better than anyone in the NBA. So for us to beat a team like this would be huge for us so we have to look at it like that. ”
The Jazz have won eight consecutive victories. Their latest loss? Against the Knicks on January 5.
Thursday also marks the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s death. Rivers got to know Bryant and the Lakers, he was kind of a mentor. Rivers said Bryant would always look for him after games to offer him a review.
“I don’t mean to say he didn’t sound human – but he’s the same as someone like LeBron (James),” Rivers said. “These guys move differently. They are not basketball players. These are basketball. When you see someone like that leave, it makes life so fragile and makes you feel so human.
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