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The Knicks acknowledged that their opponents on Friday night were the ones looking for loose balls, blocking shots and playing like the hungrier team desperately in need of a win.
The Kings had given up on their previous four games and played like that, while the Knicks made up a bad shooting night with a lack of intensity for much of the second half to end their three-game winning streak.
Although RJ Barrett later warned that the improved Knicks (8-9) “hadn’t done anything yet,” Julius Randle – the constant double-team target of the Sacramento defense – stressed that they shouldn’t. never deviate from high energy and defense. -the first style that punctuated their start of .500 before their 103-94 loss to the Kings.
“Absolutely, that’s really what it’s all about, especially after the second night of back-to-back. It’s about being a dog, just fighting, of our energy, ”said Randle, referring to the Knicks’ impressive victory the night before at Golden State in Game 1 of a four-way road trip. matches. “It really had nothing to do with [the Kings]. We just have to come out with the right frame of mind that under the circumstances we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.
“I think for the most part [Friday] it was a little up and down. It was a strange game, but things are happening. It was a learning experience for us, and we will come back to it immediately. “
The Knicks (8-9) have fallen to 1-2 in the second half of consecutive games this season, having beaten Milwaukee on December 27 and lost to Charlotte on January 11. Coach Tom Thibodeau agreed that he was not the hungrier side in any game is a recipe for failure for his team.
“I think each team [believes that]. It’s the league’s challenge, ”said Thibodeau. “You win some, you lose some, but the next day – and you usually see it all the time in the playoffs – the team that wins the previous game kicks in. [needing] more of an advantage in the next game, which is why you never let your guard down or feel too good about yourself.
The Knicks have also slipped to 5-5 on the road this season, with games against Portland (8-6) on Sunday and Utah on Tuesday completing the road trip. Thibodeau thought his team had not played with their “usual high energy” and got “stuck” in the second half against the Kings, who built a 12-point lead behind guards De’Aaron Fox and rookie Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton, who later said he was “personally fueled” by the Knicks bypassing him with the No.8 pick in the 2020 Draft, accounted for 16 points, two interceptions and four of Sacramento’s 14 blocked shots.
“You have to be ready from start to finish,” Thibodeau said. “There are different challenges every night, whether it’s travel or back to back, you can be shorthanded, whatever it is.
“You want to build that consistency in terms of preparation, hardness of play, intelligence of play and the way we play together. It’s a team sport so you rely on everyone to do it together. If we fail in an area that can impact the execution of your offense or defense, you want to learn from each situation and come back ready for the next.
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