NEW YORK – It was a lighthearted moment in Tom Thibodeau’s pregame press conference Saturday, but one that reflected the Knicks’ current reality.
When asked about injuries – which his team has suffered plenty of lately – and whether there were any updates Thibodeau said it was “normal stuff.”
OG Anunoby. Out.
Julius Randle. Out.
Mitchell Robinson. Out.
“Starting frontline, out,” Thibodeau said.
That’s normal for the Knicks these days.
Soon after, Thibodeau would watch his team put up a feisty first-half battle against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden before fading in the third quarter, victimized by the array of weapons the Celtics boast.
The end result was a 116-102 victory for Boston, the fourth the Celtics have picked up against the Knicks this season in as many meetings.
Boston shot 56.8 percent for the game – though it hovered around 70 percent for much of it. It went 15-of-35 (42.9 percent) from the perimeter.
Knicks vs. Celtics turned in the second half
The game got away from the Knicks, who blew out the Sixers in the first game back from the all-star break on Thursday, in the third quarter when the Celtics delivered a flurry of threes and won the period 35-26.
“First half I thought we were pretty good in terms of covering the (three-point) line,” Thibodeau said. “They had 14 threes at the half. Third quarter, I thought we got hit by a barrage of threes. Some of those was us, the communication wasn’t where it needed to be. So we have to shore that up.”
Jalen Brunson was again stellar, finishing with 34 points. Against the loaded Celtics, the Knicks needed more from other places.
“It’s definitely difficult,” Brunson said of trying to slow down the Celtics. “But we’ve got to step up to the challenge.”
The Knicks will face the Celtics one more time in the regular season – at Boston for the third-to-last game in the regular season.
After that, there’s a possibility they could see each other in the playoffs. Especially if the Knicks manage to make a run.
Status of Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson
But Saturday’s result highlighted just how much these shorthanded Knicks need their reinforcements back to take down an elite team like Boston, which at 45-12 holds the best record in the NBA.
Plenty of uncertainty remains when it comes to when Randle, Robinson and Anunoby will be able to return.
Randle, recovering from a dislocated right shoulder, earlier in the week told reporters that he was making progress but couldn’t completely rule out surgery.
Anunoby, who had surgery to remove a loose bone fragment in his elbow, expressed optimism Wednesday that he’ll be back before the end of the regular season. Robinson, out since December following ankle surgery, could also be back before the end of the regular season.
“They’re doing what they can,” Thibodeau said. “It’s great they’re in the gym every day now. So they’re making good, steady progress and hopefully soon they’ll be back.”
That’s all the Knicks can hope for right now.
Owners of the No. 4 seed in the East, they’re still in a good spot at this point. The Bucks are ahead of them but they’ve struggled under new coach Doc Rivers. Philadelphia is behind them, but it’s been vulnerable without Joel Embiid.
And even without their three starters, the Knicks are still plenty dangerous.
“Anytime you have injuries,” Thibodeau said, “it’s an opportunity for other guys to step forward.”
The Knicks hung with the Celtics Saturday for the first half. The second was a different story.
If the Knicks were healthy? Perhaps that’s completely different story altogether.
“Against a team like that, you have to play 48 minutes of really good basketball,” Thibodeau said. “We didn’t do that tonight.”
First appeared on www.northjersey.com