The New Orleans Pelicans deepened the New York Knicks’ crisis by winning their visit to Madison Square Garden by 102-91. Willie Green’s men broke the match thanks to a favorable 32-12 run in the third period.
Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas led NOLA’s offense with 18 points and 10 rebounds; followed by Josh Hart, who contributed 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 basket passes.
“It was really like a 6v5 because they were so frustrated and missing their shots. The public was too, so they were booed and it was like fuel for us, ”Josh Hart told the media. ESPN. “Normally when you play as a visitor the only type of support you have is your teammates. I’m not saying his fans were on our side, but they weren’t on his side either,” he explained.
The New York public was warming up at times, but its high point came at the beginning of the last quarter with the game practically sentenced. The Pelicans were placed 81-57 reaching a maximum income of 24 points in the electronic.
Both Tom Thibodeau and Julius Randle are the main players in his losing streak. The coach insisted again with Kemba and Fournier as starters, when it is a bet that clearly does not work. For his part, Randle is not playing well, and his frustration is paid with the rest of his teammates. Last night he added a negative -26 on the track with just 4 points and 1 of 9 shooting from the field.
“When things don’t go our way, Julius (Randle) will take a lot of the blame. But it’s a team game, and we have to come out of this as a team. It has not been a particular play or a particular moment. Things just haven’t gone the way we planned,” Tom Thibodeau explained.
RJ Barrett (17 points) and Mitchell Robinson (17 points and 15 rebounds) were the greatest exponents of the Knickerbockers. Immanuel Quickley added 14 points, and Alec Burks and Quentin Grimes each had 13 points.
With their third loss in a row, the Knicks fall behind in the Eastern Conference with a negative 22-24. For their part, the Pelicans break a streak of two consecutive losses and are placed with a balance of 17-28. On the next day the Willie Green will face Rick Carlisle’s Indiana Pacers; and the New Yorkers on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
(Cover photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)