Knicks’ prayers go unanswered as Nikola Jokic, Nuggets prove too much
NY Post
DENVER — Josh Hart may want to visit a confessional or reconcile with his higher power because his prayers went unanswered.
Asked before Thursday’s game how the Knicks could slow down Nikola Jokic, Hart, the affable forward, offered, “Pray.”
Then Jokic dumped an easy triple-double on the Knicks, recording 30 points with 14 rebounds and 11 assists as the Nuggets sent New York home with a 113-100 defeat.
The Knicks (41-28), who snapped a four-game winning streak while falling behind the streaking Magic to fifth in the East, had no answer and were humbled at the end of an otherwise successful 3-1 road trip.
“He’s the MVP for a reason,” Jalen Brunson said, forecasting an inevitable third award after this season for Jokic.
Not that the Knicks didn’t try in the Mile High City.
PHOENIX — Wednesday brought some cautiously optimistic updates for the Knicks frontcourt.
The Greatest Escape in franchise history was perpetrated by Glen Sather, when the general manager extricated himself and the Rangers from the final five years of Scott Gomez’s contract by moving the $7,357,143-per-year center to Montreal on June 30, 2009 after two years in New York.
The Yankees publicly are on the same page: Hal Steinbrenner, like Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone before him, said that issues with the club’s fundamentals did not hover over the team all season.
The first day of the rest of Daniel Jones’ dwindling time with the Giants arrived Wednesday, with Jones in the building, in the meetings, on the practice field (although not doing very much) and not at all part of the game plan for the next game, relegated to a non-participant role for the remainder of the season.
There will be a little extra magic for Knicks-Spurs on Christmas Day.
The quickest way for the Giants to climb out of quarterback hell is also the quickest way to extend their stay there for at least three more years.
The Lakers’ decision to keep Bronny James away from G League road games has sparked some debate about the level of preferential treatment the franchise is giving to LeBron’s son.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Rangers continue to flex their strength on the road this season.
One of Tom Thibodeau’s stated points of emphasis for the Knicks this season — to increase their volume of 3-point attempts to take advantage of their proficiency from the outside — is starting to come to fruition.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It’s the best-case scenario for Filip Chytil and the Rangers.