New York Knicks Looking to Even Record

New York battled but couldn’t close out things in their season opener at home against the Celtics Wednesday night.. New York trailed by a dozen after the opening quarter, cut the margin to five at the half and saw Boston reextend to a 12-point lead early in the third quarter before regrouping. The Knicks trailed by nine after three quarters before reeling off a 28-13 run in the first eight-plus minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 101-95 lead with 3:39 remaining. Unfortunately, things went south for the Knicks from there as they were outscored 13-3 the rest of the way to wind up on the short end of the scoreboard. They did even their record against Atlanta by making 45% (20-44) of their 3-point attempts.

In the Boston game, New York shot just 37.1% from the floor, though they shot better from three-point range (18 of 41) than they did from inside the arc (18 of 56) in the contest. The Knicks also doomed themselves by clanking 12 of their 26 free throw attempts in the game, with Julius Randle going just one of five at the stripe. Immanuel Quickley (six rebounds, four assists) and RJ Barrett each put up 24 points to lead the Knicks in the loss. Their shooting lines were starkly different as Quickley was seven of 11 from the floor (five of six from three-point range) while Barrett hit eight of 20 from the floor (two of five from three-point range) in the game. Jalen Brunson added 15 points plus six assists though he was six of 21 from the floor, Randle added 14 points, 11 rebounds along with seven assists but shot just five of 22 from the floor. Quentin Grimes added 11 points in the loss. The Knicks need to get more from newly-acquired Donte DiVincenzo (scoreless in 15 minutes) and Josh Hart (seven points in 22 minutes) off the bench in order to have success. DiVincenzo did add 16 points off the bench against the Hawks in 20 minutes.

New Orleans Pelicans Seek 2-0 Start

New Orleans put together a solid showing as the band was back together, at least for one night, allowing them to take down the Grizzlies on the road Wednesday night. The Pelicans return home here looking to put another one in the win column and start the season 2-0. Against Memphis, New Orleans trailed by three after the opening quarter and by eight early in the second quarter before taking control of the lead with a 27-4 run that gave them a 52-37 advantage with 4:17 to play in the first half. The Pelicans saw the Grizzlies close within five late in the first half but New Orleans didn’t let Memphis closer than that the rest of the way.

In the contest, New Orleans shot 47.1% from the field, including 14 of 32 from three-point range, and controlled the battle of the boards by a 52-37 margin. Those numbers offset the fact that the Pelicans turned the ball over 21 times in the contest. CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 24 points and six assists as one of five players in double figures for New Orleans in the contest. Zion Williamson, in his first game since January 2, scored 23 points and pulled down seven boards for the Pelicans. Brandon Ingram chipped in 19 points, seven rebounds plus six assists, Herbert Jones added 13 points plus eight boards while Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. The Pelicans have to get some better production from their bench group as the reserves scored only 20 points in the game.

Trey Murphy III (knee) had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to be out until mid-November. Najj Marshall (knee) has a bone bruise and is expected to be out of action until early November. Jose Alvarado (ankle) missed Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies and is considered questionable for this contest. Watch for any information about his status heading into tip-off.