The New York Knicks fell to the clippers to drop both games in a back-to-back against the Los Angeles teams.
The New York Knicks fell to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, 126-118. Below are my takeaways from their loss.
Swept in LA
After winning four of five games — which included a 39-point rout of the Denver Nuggets — the Knicks proceeded to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James on Sunday to open their first night of a back-to-back in Southern California.
New York had another chance to leave LA with a win against the Clippers, but it could not overcome a game in which it never led by more than one point. Now, the Knicks will head to Utah to face the Jazz as losers of two straight before concluding their five-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Unable to Stop the Claw
A continuous nuisance for New York's defense on Tuesday was Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Leonard had 29 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead his team in all three categories. He also shot 52.6% from the field and hit all seven of his free throw attempts while grabbing two steals.
Leonard was hardly alone in his offensive effort, as Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin came along for the ride. Altogether, the Knicks allowed the trio to score 80 points, and five Clippers finished in double figures.
A Wasted Performance by KAT
The Knicks were able to muster some solid offensive production with four players finishing in double figures, and Karl-Anthony Towns led the way.
Towns dropped a game-high 35 points and flirted with a triple-double in the process after notching 12 rebounds and seven assists. Towns’ scoring effort only took 17 shots, as he hit 13 of them to go 76.5% from the field and 3-4 from the 3-point line.
Towns had help from Jalen Brunson, who notched 28 points, and OG Anunoby, who had 22 points, but it would not be enough to overcome the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
Shamet Goes Cold
Often, Landry Shamet has been a bright spot off the bench for the Knicks this season. In 40 games (nine starts), he is averaging 10.1 points while shooting 41.1% from 3-point range. However, Monday was not his night.
Shamet hit just three of his 12 attempts from the perimeter for nine points in the loss. He also racked up four fouls and two turnovers. Given the close score, perhaps it is a different game if Shamet hits just a couple more shots.
The good news for the Knicks is that, after their two losses, they still hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference. However, with the Cleveland Cavaliers picking up their 40th victory with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, the Knicks’ (41-25) lead over the former shrinks to one game.