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Keys To The Knicks Winning Streak

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Jalen Brunson put on a post-Christmas spectacular in the nation’s capital, dropping a mammoth 55 points to propel the New York Knicks to an overtime victory against the Wizards. He was in his bag as his patented footwork and pump fakes had the Wizards on skates. These Knicks have been on fire recently, winners of seven straight and 12 of 14. What are the keys to the Knicks winning streak?

It’s been a team effort first and foremost. Armed with the most productive starting lineup in the league offensively, anyone can go off on a night. Mikal Bridges dropped 41 on Christmas Day, and Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a career-best start. Wings Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are playing superbly on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the Knicks chemistry is coming together at the right time.

Keys To The Knicks Winning Streak

Bridges Playing Terrific

Prognosticators considered the trade to acquire Bridges from the Nets a significant overpay for a player who’s never been an All-Star. However, Bridges has since silenced these prognostications with a memorable December. He’s been nothing short of sensational, punctuated by dropping 41 and outdueling Victor Wembanyama‘s Spurs on Christmas Day. He has been showcasing the offense, defense, and durability which brought him to New York. This is a player who never misses a game, is a solid defender, and offensively he’s an assassin in the midrange and from the corners.

For the month of December, Bridges is averaging 22.2 points per game, and shooting 57.2% from the field and 45.1% from three. These are incredible numbers for a third, sometimes fourth option scorer. The hitch in his jumper which was noticeable in the first month of the season looks to be behind him also.

Bridges is playing within the flow of the offense, and picking his spots. This is emanating from developing trust and chemistry with his teammates. Per The Athletic, in response to his play of late, he replied,

”I continue to work everyday to get comfortable with the team and system, teammates have been finding me, I just want to keep getting better.”

Christmas Day was a showcase of his talents, but in truth, he’s been building up to it from the weeks prior with his excellent performances. His defense has noticeably improved also this month, credited with 18 steals and six blocks for the month.

Now that Bridges is apparently comfortable within the system, the sky is the limit for this team.

Bench Is Coming Together

The Knicks astute signing of Landry Shamet after he recovered from injury brings extra perimeter scoring punch off the bench for the Knicks. A career three-point shooter of 38.4%, he brings much needed punch to a team needing some bench scoring. Another player back from injury and finding his feet is Precious Achiuwa. He punctuated his return by his grown-man posterizing dunk on the Wizards.

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Precious has provided quality minutes since returning from injury. He grabbed 10 rebounds and was a +14 in the win against the Spurs. Furthermore, he had a double-double starting a game against the Timberwolves over a week ago. It would behoove the Knicks to use him more playing beside Karl-Anthony Towns  to beef up the rim-protection and rebounding on the defensive end.

Guard Miles McBride has been lethal from long range this season, hitting at a 40.3% clip from beyond the arc. Now that the bench has become more serviceable, the starting lineup can do their thing even more effectively. This has been a key to the Knicks winning streak.

Balanced Attack

The Knicks made history by having four different players this year having a game of 40 points or more before January 1. This is a remarkable stat which exemplifies the Knicks balanced offense. Karl-Anthony Towns (44), Mikal Bridges (41), OG Anunoby (40), and Jalen Brunson (55) have all had games of 40 points or more.

The Knicks have the second-best offense in the league by offensive rating as a result of their balance. Coach Tom Thibodeau often preaches ‘trusting the pass’, and this is particularly evident by the team being top 10 in assists. Brunson is having a career-high year in assists averaging 7.7 per contest. Josh Hart’s 5.4 assists per game is nearly double his career average, while Towns’ assist rate is up from previous years. This is a balanced attack, that trusts the pass, looking to get guys in their best spots. It could be Bridges from the mid-range or corner, OG from the corner, Hart’s cutting, Brunson’s array of skills, or Towns from the top of the key.

It’s been particularly impressive how hard the Knicks work with and without the ball, a credit to the elite coaching of Thibodeau. Bridges, Hart, and OG all work tirelessly. They are constantly moving and cutting, setting screens, and breaking through screens.

It’s a testament to Thibodeau’s coaching that he has a team of big names all willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. This balanced attack is the key to the Knicks winning streak.

Improved Defense

The Wizards back-to-back not withstanding, New York’s defense has been much improved in December. They held the Magic to just 85 points. Bridges’ on-ball defense has been much better, while OG is making a serious case for another All-NBA defensive team inclusion. Hart has been the heart of the team, no pun intended. The Knicks improvement has been massive these past few weeks. They were 23rd in defensive rating in November, and their rating has improved to third in December. The Knicks are now fifth overall in net rating.

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It’s a different type of team than previous years. But coach Thibodeau’s specialty is defense, and he has everyone starting to buy in on the defensive end. Much of the key to their winning has been doing a better job defending the perimeter. Overall, the Knicks have won 17 of their last 21 games, and it’s beginning to look like the Knicks will have a happy new year in 2025 at this rate.

 

The post Keys To The Knicks Winning Streak appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.