Nikola Jokic missed three of his last four shots and knicks‘ Win over the Nuggets.
His primary defender? Michelle Robinson,
Robinson’s fingerprints were on Saturday in the Knicks’ win over Denver. He had seven of New York’s 15 offensive rebounds and added three assists, one steal and one block in the win.
This was the first time in Robinson’s five-year career that he beat the Nuggets at full strength.
Robinson said, Jokic is a very talented player. “To get out there, get the win, felt great.”
It was also Robinson’s first game since writing a post on Snapchat. complaining about his role in the Knicks offense, Robinson followed up with a post on Instagram saying he’s been through a lot personally lately.
After Saturday’s win, Robinson said he’s really happy with his role in New York.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing (the way) I did now. So, yeah,” said the fifth-year center.
tom thibodeau was taking Robinson’s comments about his role in progress.
“Mitch has been great all season. Anyone can have a bad day. If you have a bad day, bounce back, have a good day. Don’t let anything get in the way of the team,” Thibodeau told the Knicks. said after the victory.
“I think he understands that. His teammates respect and appreciate him. We know how much he does the dirty work for the team. It’s a big part of him. He’s going to be a big part of our team.” Got the role. Go out and play, next play, don’t worry about what happened next play. Nobody’s perfect.
Based on how his teammates feel about him, it would be surprising if any of the Knicks were bothered by Robinson’s Snapchat post.
“We’re all brothers, so we even joked a little about it on the plane,” Emmanuel Quickly Said. “Mitch, he’s a great guy off the floor. Obviously, I think everybody knows that. He’s, like, a character. He can be a little funny and outgoing.
“We understand who Mitch is and we told him, ‘Any time we can help you get to the ball a little bit more, we’ll try to do that.’ So, we don’t take it too (seriously). We just want everyone in the team to be happy and try to win as well as eat.”
The Knicks have been winning a lot lately. They are 12 games above .500 with 10 games to play. They enter next week at least 1.5 games ahead of Brooklyn for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
and they’ve been able to win with both jalen brunson and Robinson out for crucial parts.
“Sometimes people are dealing with injuries or people aren’t playing their best and it’s great to know that you turn to the bench and you have guys who can start, guys who can make a difference in this.” Can produce at a high level in the league,” josh hart Said of the depth of New York. “And it takes comfort in knowing that it might not be my night but it’s going to be someone’s night.
“You’ve got guys coming off the bench who can start. You’ve got obvious starters who are obviously starters for a reason. And you’ve got the depth that comes with the deuce , especially that Portland game — the whole road trip but especially that Portland game playing how he did. That’s something you’ll want to detail below.
“It’s something that sometimes people are dealing with injuries or people not playing their best and it’s great to know that you turn to the bench and you have guys that can be starters, guys like that. Who can produce at a high level in this league. And it gives you comfort knowing that it might not be my night but it’s going to be someone’s night.
Hartenstein thriving
Isaiah HartensteinThe play is an example of the profundity of New York recently. He and Hart helped New York’s bench keep the game even in the fourth quarter.
Hartenstein had three rebounds and one assist in the fourth quarter. The Knicks held Denver to one out in that stretch, giving the starters a chance to close out the game.
In the seven games before Saturday’s win, Hartenstein had a plus/minus of +85 — a number that tells you how much he’s affected games recently.
“I don’t know if it’s a change as much as he’s processed everything. I think he’s a lot more comfortable,” Thibodeau said.
“When a player comes in and he’s new he adjusts to a new system and new teammates, it takes a while. One of the byproducts of Mitch being out there is giving him a chance to really get into his rhythm And he recovered. That’s a big part of it, too.
Julius Randle He’s loving what he’s seen from Hartenstein recently.
“He’s doing a lot of the little things. Whether he gets 10 points, 15 points, he rebounds, he plays defense, gets his hands on plays and deflections and other things like that. Sets screens, Really nice screen,” Randall said.
“He does a lot of little things for us that help us win.”
take it to the heart
With Saturday’s win, the Knicks improved to 11–3 with Hart in the lineup. He has 42 wins, a career-high for Hart.
Hart had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists on Saturday. It was the second game he put up those numbers off the bench for New York.
Afterwards, Hart cautioned against the Knicks getting too comfortable at this point in the season.
“Playing such a tough team, playing against a seeded team is a pleasant win for us but at the end of the day, we cannot be complacent. I think there’s no point if we beat a team like this and get complacent,” Hart said.
“So keep working hard, keep getting better, keep learning. We’ll learn with wins instead of losses. We got Minnesota on Monday. A tough Minnesota team. They’re ready to come here.”