CLEVELAND — The Knicks left residence Thursday using a three-game successful streak and so they returned Sunday evening licking their wounds after two doses of actuality.
Dealing with two of the higher groups within the Jap Convention, the Bucks and the Cavaliers, revealed simply how far they should go within the early a part of the season.
A one-sided, 11-point loss on Friday evening in Milwaukee was adopted by a fourth-quarter collapse on Sunday in Cleveland, leading to a winless journey by which Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell had their method with the Knicks.
“Now we have a whole lot of room for enchancment,” Jalen Brunson bluntly mentioned after the Cavaliers’ 121-108 victory at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. “I feel we wouldn’t have it every other method. Now we have a whole lot of guys who work actually laborious and don’t give up. If this was straightforward, anyone would do it. Now we have to proceed to get higher. Now we have a whole lot of guys who work laborious and don’t give up.”
The Bucks, it must be famous, are undefeated and the Cavaliers have gained 5 straight video games. Each are enjoying very properly. The Knicks had a significantly better shot of beating the Cavaliers, taking a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter. In these closing 12 minutes, although, they had been outscored 37-15. The one frequent denominator was the opposition’s star torched them. Antetokounmpo had 30 factors, 14 rebounds and 9 assists whereas Mitchell poured in 38 factors and 13 assists.
“I really feel like each video games we at the very least gave ourselves an opportunity to win,” Julius Randle mentioned. “Because the season goes on [and] our protection will get higher, we tighten that up, we’ll discover ways to win these video games.”
These two losses had been the beginning of a brutal seven-game stretch in opposition to projected playoff groups that continues Wednesday at residence in opposition to Backyard villain Trae Younger and the Hawks. That's adopted by a visit on Friday to Philadelphia to face the 76ers earlier than the Celtics come to MSG on Saturday. Backside line: It gained’t get any simpler.
However coach Tom Thibodeau took the glass-half-full strategy after these two video games. He favored how the Knicks performed within the first half in opposition to the Bucks and felt the primary three quarters had been stable in opposition to the Cavaliers.
“It reveals precisely the place we're and what now we have to do,” Thibodeau mentioned. “It exhibits us what we’re able to. We simply should do it with extra consistency and for longer. If we try this, we’ll be positive.”
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