Getty Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks
The New York Knicks had three 30-point scorers in a game for the first time since 1979, but it wasn’t the most impressive effort in Tom Thibodeau’s eyes during their 138-129 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
“Mitchell [Robinson],” Thibodeau answered when asked what impressed him most. “Mitch had a monster game. So, it started with that. The rebounding and Mitchell were just unbelievable.”
Robinson overshadowed the historic scoring effort put up by Immanuel Quickley (39 points, 7 3-pointers), Quentin Grimes (career-high 36 points, 5 3-pointers) and Obi Toppin (season-high 32 points, 5 3-pointers).
Robinson anchored the Knicks’ defense with a season-high seven blocks on top of a monster double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds. The 24-year-old center added two steals in his best all-around effort this season.
“He’s just everywhere,” Thibodeau added. “Rebounding in traffic, impacting a lot of play to the rim, applying good ball pressure, just anchoring [our defense]. [Indiana] spread us out pretty good. They were small and quick. So [Robinson] did a great job in there.”
Robinson played relentlessly that he even dove for loose balls even when the game was already beyond reach. He even complained about a non-call on his dunk attempt in the closing seconds.
“They were all big-time effort plays, and in most cases, multiple-effort plays — whether it was someone blocking them out, to chip it up and go, pursue it, run through it. When you make effort plays like that, that gives your team a lot of confidence and inspires them.”
With Robinson leading the way, the Knicks outrebounded the Pacers 52-37, which fueled their running game.
New York beat Indiana in its own game.
The Pacers, who lead the league in fastbreak points with 18.1 per game, were dominated by the Knicks, 28-17.
Knicks Trio Makes History
Quickley, Grimes and Toppin became the first trio of teammates in NBA history to score 30-plus points and hit five-plus 3-pointers in the same game.
It also marked the third time in the Knicks franchise history to have three 30-point scorers in a game — a feat that has never been done since March 24, 1979.
Quickley just couldn’t wrap around his head what they did.
“I’m trying to think. What was going on in 1979? Was there even cable [TV]?” Quickley said. “That’s great stuff, I’m really happy, especially for those guys, because they work really hard. And especially Obi, good to see him get some success, especially down the stretch.”
Josh Hart’s Stellar Start
Josh Hart made his first start with the Knicks since he was acquired from Portland at the trade deadline.
He didn’t disappoint.
Hart registered the highest plus-minus among all Knicks players on Wednesday night with a plus-31. He was all over the floor and filled the stats sheet with six points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block.
“I wish we didn’t have a long break,” Hart said. “I feel like we’re going in the right direction. So your last three games, you continue to build habits and continue to grow, continue to get better.”
The Knicks have two more games left before their first-round showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They visit Hart’s former team New Orleans Pelicans on Friday before wrapping up the regular season with a rematch against the Pacers on Sunday.