SI:AM | The Knicks’ Smothering Defense

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I rolled my eyes so hard that they almost popped out of my head when I read that Robert Kennedy Jr. is considering Aaron Rodgers for his running mate in his longshot presidential bid.

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Getting closer to full strength

The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers played one of the ugliest NBA games in years on Sunday, with the Sixers winning 79–73. It was the first game since 2016 in which neither team cracked 80 points. Last night, it was time for the rematch, but the game was only ugly for one team.

The Knicks came away with a 106–79 win behind a triple double from Josh Hart. After having beaten the Orlando Magic, 98–74, that’s now three straight games in which the Knicks have held their opponent under 80 points. No team has done that since 2015.

Sure, two of those games came against a Sixers team that is now 10–21 without Joel Embiid in the lineup, but this is still a really impressive accomplishment for the Knicks. The biggest story in the NBA this season is the offensive explosion. Teams are scoring an average of 114.9 points per game this season, the highest average since the 1969–70 season. And yet the Knicks have strung together three straight games of smothering, Patrick Ewing-era defense. Okay, not exactly Ewing-era. The last time the Knicks held an opponent under 80 points three times in a row was in the 2000–01 season, the year after Ewing left New York. But do you know who was on that team? Rick Brunson, current Knicks star Jalen Brunson’s dad. So yeah, it’s been a while.

The Knicks might not hold an opponent under 80 points again for the rest of the season, but there’s no denying that their defense is the real deal. They’re allowing an average of 108.3 points per game this season, second in the NBA behind the Minnesota Timberwolves. As the final month of the season begins and we think about which teams are capable of making serious noise in the playoffs, the Knicks’ ability to stymie their opponents will make them a threat to anyone.

The other important development from last night’s game was the return of O.G. Anunoby, who had missed the last 18 games with an elbow injury. Anunoby had been excellent in his first 14 games with the Knicks after being acquired from the Toronto Raptors in a trade in December, particularly on defense, so getting him back for the stretch run is key. With last night’s win, New York improved to 13–2 with Anunoby in the lineup.

The Knicks have dealt with several injuries this season, most notably All-Star forward Julius Randle’s dislocated shoulder that has kept him out since Jan. 27. Center Mitchell Robinson has been sidelined since Dec. 8 with an ankle injury. Imagine how much better the defense would be if Robinson, one of the league’s premier shot blockers, was available. (Both players are close to being cleared for full contact, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said yesterday, but there is still no timetable for their returns.)

But the Knicks have more than enough depth to weather those absences. Precious Achiuwa, also acquired from Toronto in the trade where Anunoby was the headliner, has played an unexpectedly important role for New York. He’s averaging 27.2 minutes per game in 33 appearances for the Knicks, the most of his career. He’s making the most of those opportunities, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, better than any of his previous three seasons. He had eight boards and two blocks off the bench last night. To boot, Donte DiVincenzo signed as a free agent before the season and has thrived while playing a bigger role than he did at his previous stops. He’s third in the NBA in three-pointers made this season, behind only Stephen Curry and Luka Dončić.

The emergence of Josh Hart is truly why the Knicks are staying afloat during Randle’s absence. Randle’s injury cleared the way for Hart to enter the starting lineup, and not only has Hart played more minutes since Randle went down, he’s taken his game to an entirely different level. In his 45 games before Randle’s injury, Hart averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 28.2 minutes per game. In 19 games since, Hart is averaging 13.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in a whopping 40.7 minutes per game. Last night, Hart had 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the fourth triple double of his career. All of them have come since Randle’s injury.

Last night’s dominant win showed what the Knicks are capable of when they’re firing on all cylinders. If they’re able to get Randle and Robinson back before the playoffs, the rest of the league should watch out.

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The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. O.G. Anunoby’s steal and dunk that left Sixers coach Nick Nurse stunned.

4. Chet Holmgren’s block, followed immediately by a put-back dunk on the other end.

3. Connor Bedard’s defensive effort, leading to his 20th goal of the season.

2. This hilariously terrible fast break by Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole of the terrible Wizards.

1. Andre Jackson Jr.’s hops on this put-back dunk.

SIQ

On this day in 1915, at the urging of his players, Brooklyn Dodgers manager Wilbert Robinson attempted to catch a baseball thrown from a passing airplane. But the ball was replaced at the last minute but what other object?

• Football
• Golf ball
• Grapefruit
• Sandwich

Yesterday’s SIQ: On March 12, 2003, Damian Costantino’s NCAA-record 60-game hitting streak came to an end. What school did he play for?

• Rutgers
• Truman State
• Salve Regina
• Arkansas Tech

Answer: Salve Regina. The streak stretched over three seasons with the Division-III school in Newport, R.I., beginning on April 1, 2001. In between, Costantino hit safely in all 35 games he played in the ’02 season.

The record was previously held by Robin Ventura, who, before going on to have a 16-year career in the majors, hit safely in 58 straight games for Oklahoma State in 1987. Costantino broke his record by getting hits in both games of a doubleheader on March 10, 2003.

Costantino got to meet Ventura, then playing with the New York Yankees, after breaking the record.

“Never in my wildest dreams,” Costantino, a Red Sox fan, said after meeting Ventura and other Yankees stars. “I never imagined this. It’s incredible. I don’t know what to say to anybody.”