Nets’ lack of size exposed by Karl-Anthony Towns’ return in loss to Knicks
NY Post
The Nets couldn’t stop Karl-Anthony Towns. They couldn’t finish at the rim. And they couldn’t break their skid against the Knicks.
Brooklyn didn’t so much get outhustled as outmuscled in a 114-104 loss to the Knicks before a sellout crowd of 19,812 at the Garden on Sunday.
Two nights after nearly pulling off an upset against the Towns-less Knicks, they had to face the star big man in the rematch. And — playing without centers Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe — it got as ugly in the paint as expected.
“Yeah, obviously it was a part of it. Definitely a problem. But I just don’t think we brought energy,” admitted Ben Simmons. “Yeah, we didn’t play how we needed to play.”
It was Simmons that was tasked with starting at center again with Claxton out, and he finished scoreless in 22 minutes of action.
Neither he nor Dorian Finney-Smith could hinder Towns, who had 26 points and 15 rebounds on 10-for-16 shooting. The Knicks star had 14 on 5-for-6 shooting in the third when the Nets saw it get blown open.
Almost a year to the day after a goaltender interference call against Kyle Palmieri lost the Islanders a game against the Blue Jackets that started their season’s death spiral, they were on the wrong end of another controversial call against those same Blue Jackets that might have had the same effect.
On the Queens side of town, the reno began in earnest almost as soon as Francisco Lindor grounded into the 4-6-3 double play. That ended a 4-0 loss before a rare sizable crowd at Miami’s loanDepot Park last Sept. 27, all of them there to witness the final death rattles of an epic baseball calamity.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being paid handsomely for his breakout season.
Next comes the harder part. Mostly because it can’t get any easier.
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
PORT ST. LUCIE — From the moment he was told he needed surgery on his left hamate bone, Francisco Lindor fixated on the recovery time. Trainers provided the Mets shortstop a six-week pathway to return to play, and Lindor was determined to hit every marker.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
Don’t close the curtain on “Mean” Joe Greene.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.