Knicks share the wealth to top Raptors without Mitchell Robinson
Day 1 without Mitchell Robinson was about survival for the Knicks.
Surviving without their ace rim protector and offensive rebounder.
Surviving another woeful defensive effort.
Surviving what would’ve been a terrible loss before a daunting five-game road trip.
On the day the Knicks found out they will be without Robinson for at least the next two months due to a stress fracture in his left ankle, they survived the reeling Raptors thanks to a strong offensive showing.
“Good way to [head out on] this road trip,” Jalen Brunson said after the 136-130 win at the Garden. “It’s terrible news about Mitch, but we’re with him. It’s going to take all of us to step up.”
Multiple times before tipoff Monday, Tom Thibodeau made the exact same point.
One player can’t replace Robinson, the NBA leader in offensive rebounding. It will take everyone.
His players were listening, at least on the offensive end.
It took several Knicks performing well on Monday, from the big three of RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Brunson to key reserves Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein.
“Very important, psychologically, first and foremost,” Randle said. “Get back on the right track on the winning side.”
It was not a defensive performance that will be remembered fondly against the Raptors, one of the worst offensive teams in the league who hit 14 3-pointers, but the Knicks buckled down in the end somewhat.
Mostly, they won with offense, shooting 60.5 percent overall and making 17 3-point attempts on a night Immanuel Quickley (left knee inflammation) wasn’t available.
Randle led five Knicks in double figures with 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Barrett added 27 and Brunson notched 21 points and nine assists.
Playing the bulk of the minutes in place of Robinson, Hartenstein had 11 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Jericho Sims got the start and produced seven rebounds in 21 minutes, a season-high.
Grimes (19 points) and Hart (seven rebounds, eight assists) combined for 35 points, outscoring the Raptors reserves by themselves, and the Knicks totaled a season-high 36 assists.
“I think we’re playing very unselfishly and that’s huge,” Thibodeau said. “We’re putting points up on the board — a lot of points. The other end [of the floor], we can’t be who we need to be unless we’re strong on both sides of the ball.”
The Knicks (13-9) finally created some separation midway through the fourth quarter after stringing together three consecutive stops, a rarity in this game.
It coincided with a 7-0 run that procured their biggest lead of the second half — seven points — up to that point.
After Barrett scored inside, Grimes hit a 3-pointer after missing in close and Hart scored off of a Barrett steal, which forced a Raptors (9-14) timeout with 6:52 left.
A few minutes later, Hart put the game away, following up a 3-pointer with a driving layup to push the lead to 10 with 2:38 to go.
Afterwards, Thibodeau harped on the defensive shortcomings and the need for the Knicks to get right on that end of the floor.
They have allowed at least 130 points in three consecutive games.
Robinson’s absence isn’t an excuse.
But Thibodeau didn’t want to gloss over the most important thing: a victory. Particularly on a day the Knicks lost a key piece prior to a daunting stretch in the schedule.
“I don’t want to lose sight of that. The winning is the most important thing,” Thibodeau said. “You win games different ways. Sometimes you win it with your defense, sometimes it might be your offense.”
