Last night’s first quarter ended with the Knicks up by 7, and New York would extend the lead to 13 early in the second quarter. At first glance it appeared that D’Antoni’s group would sail on to victory. But the Wizards began to exploit a Knick weakness, the same one that sunk them against the Thunder: rebounding. Here’s some of the action from the play-by-play:
Young 3pt Shot: Missed | 09:51 |
Booker Rebound (Off:1 Def:0) | 09:50 |
Booker Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) | 09:48 |
[WAS 30-39] | |
Booker Free Throw 1 of 1 (3 PTS) | 09:48 |
[WAS 31-39] | |
Shakur Jump Shot: Missed Block: Turiaf (1 BLK) | 08:48 |
Team Rebound | 08:47 |
Lewis Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Thornton (1 AST) | 08:37 |
[WAS 35-43] | |
Booker Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed | 05:56 |
McGee Rebound (Off:1 Def:6) | 05:53 |
McGee Tip Shot: Made (9 PTS) | 05:53 |
[WAS 45-45] | |
Booker Jump Shot: Missed Block: Stoudemire (1 BLK) | 04:17 |
McGee Rebound (Off:2 Def:6) | 04:15 |
McGee Slam Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS) | 04:13 |
[WAS 51-48] | |
Lewis Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) | 03:30 |
Booker Jump Shot: Missed | 03:25 |
Shakur Rebound (Off:1 Def:2) | 03:23 |
Shakur Jump Bank Shot: Made (4 PTS) | 03:21 |
[WAS 56-51] | |
Young Rebound (Off:0 Def:1) | 02:05 |
Young 3pt Shot: Missed | 01:59 |
Booker Rebound (Off:2 Def:1) | 01:57 |
Booker Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO) | 01:56 |
I count only 3 Washington possessions in that quarter that end in a Knick rebound, and one was off a missed throw. The Knicks ended up winning the game, due to a slight edge in shooting (51.6% to 50.6% eFG) and a huge edge in turnovers (9.6 to 15.1 to%). They lost the rebounding battle, but made it close (31.6 to 28.6). Although Amar’e Stoudemire led the team with 5 offensive boards, every Knick except for Raymond Felton and Bill Walker secured a miss off the glass.
This is yet another game in which the Knicks got beaten on the glass. New York is 25th in offensive rebounding and 26th on defensive rebounding. According to the four factors, it’s the only major weakness the team has, and something the team should look to address before the trade deadline.