New York Knicks defeat the Utah Jazz 134-117: A second-unit pick me up

The New York Knicks overcame a slow start to beat the Utah Jazz 134-117. The starters looked drained at the tail-end of this road trip, but Jordan Clarkson made his homecoming special and helped New York stage a comeback.

The Knicks started the night playing abysmal defense. The Jazz knocked down 14 of their first 18 three-pointers, and it wasn’t serendipity. New York’s defenders couldn’t get on the same page and kept getting stuck on screens.

The second unit sparked the team by showing life on defense. Clarkson and Karl-Anthony Towns breathed life into the offense, keeping the game within reach. Jalen Brunson woke up in the third quarter, but the Jazz killed momentum by hitting timely threes.

It took one more second unit push for the Knicks to finally take a lead heading into the fourth. New York dominated that fourth quarter, putting the game away decisively and putting their worrisome start to bed.

The Knicks needed a spark early, and Jordan Clarkson provided it. He led the bench scoring in the first half, possibly energized by an appreciative video the Jazz played to show love to their former player.

Clarkson came out of halftime with more of the same. He got to the rim and scored, while sprinkling in a dose of offensive rebounding and swing passing. It was his best performance in months, crucial to New York’s victory.

It looked like Jalen Brunson was in a tailspin during the first half. He was 1/8 from the field with three turnovers at halftime. But Brunson snapped out of it in the third with a 15-point quarter.

It’s worth noting that Brunson had three turnovers in the first half and none in the second. Part of that comes from him getting extra rest in the fourth quarter, but he also got rid of the ball quickly in half-court sets. That allowed him to relocate before the Jazz could blitz him with doubles.

I only wish OG Anunoby got more opportunities to shoot. Anunoby knocked down his threes when he got space, but never settled for jumpers. He attacked the paint when there were openings; if there were none, he kept the ball moving.

OG made some bad rotations in the first quarter. But he got back to his usual effective form from the second quarter on, providing a complete two-way performance.

The only reason New York wasn’t blown out in the first half was Karl-Anthony Towns’ scoring. With his three-pointers falling, nobody on the Jazz could contain him. He took big men to the perimeter and smaller defenders to the block.

Towns didn’t rebound as effectively as usual, but he took his playmaking to another level to make up for the reduced rebound numbers.

I was excited to see Landry Shamet start, but it might have messed with his rhythm. He didn’t get into the flow of the first half at all, and even his defensive intensity seemed to slip up.

Shamet didn’t make his second field goal until deep in the fourth quarter, while playing with the second unit. Most of his production essentially came in garbage time.

I’ll credit Mikal Bridges for playing good defense, but his continuing shooting slump has been brutal. It gets compounded by his naturally passive nature and renders him inconsequential to too many possessions.

He has time to figure it out, but his role will continue to reduce if not.

It’s rare for a double-digit victory to feel frustrating. But I loathed New York’s defensive effort for most of this game. I’m willing to blame fatigue, mainly because New York’s second unit played so well.

Jordan Clarkson had fresh legs and enthusiastic energy. Jose Alvarado picked up ball handlers full court. Mitch and Mo continued their trends as impact players. The bench saved the day.

So, we’re stuck with some concerning trends from the past three games. But the schedule is light going forward, which gives the team room to make adjustments and get on track. This is a good time for their depth to shine and starters to get some more rest.

We’ll see if New York can capitalize on this soft spot in the schedule next time, Knicks fam!