The New York Knicks have dropped three straight games and fallen to 2-3 since guard Josh Hart sprained his ankle, underscoring how much the versatile swingman influences both ends of the floor.
“Having Josh out there helps a ton,” head coach Mike Brown said. “Our pace isn’t good. We’re walking the ball up, and everything stays on one side. We want to space, make quick decisions, touch the paint and reverse the ball—we haven’t done much of that lately.”
Lineup shuffle without Hart
In Friday’s loss to Atlanta, Brown paired Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting lineup, a look the club has experimented with to mixed results. Both big men also struggled against Philadelphia earlier in the week as New York absorbed its third consecutive defeat.
“Obviously we miss him,” guard Jalen Brunson said of Hart. “But that’s no excuse for what we should be doing out there. We have to step up.”
Injury updates
Hart, limited to light on-court work, will be re-evaluated Friday and is expected to return soon after, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. Guard Landry Shamet, sidelined since Nov. 22 with a shoulder sprain, is projected to rejoin the lineup next week.
Defensive slide
The Knicks’ defense has slipped into the league’s bottom 10, giving up at least 124 points in six of their last seven outings and posting a negative net rating over the past eight, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reported. “It starts with guarding the ball—without fouling,” Brown said. “Our transition defense hasn’t been good either. When the shots aren’t falling, defense has to be where we hang our hat, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Fans voice displeasure
Madison Square Garden, normally a supportive venue this season, turned on the home team during Friday’s blowout to the Hawks. Boos first rained down in the third quarter when Atlanta’s lead ballooned to 29 and resurfaced early in the fourth. “It’s human nature to let go of the rope sometimes,” Brown noted. “But when you have success, people come for your neck for 48 minutes.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
