When asked about the Knicks’ recent slow starts before Friday’s matchup with the Bulls, Josh Hart was candid.
It’s something the team’s dealt with for multiple years, and he couldn’t pinpoint why.
“We’ve been getting off to slow starts for two years now,” Hart said. “If I had the answers, we would be better.”
In their past four games before Friday, the Knicks had varying first-quarter results, trailing early in losses to Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Houston before a 48-point frame kick-started a win over Memphis.
But on Friday against the Bulls, the Knicks looked like a completely different animal. They jumped up 20-1 and held Chicago without a basket until seven minutes in. That led to a 78-41 halftime advantage, putting the game away early.
The Knicks eventually prevailed 136-96, maintaining their position as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with four regular-season games remaining.
“Tonight we started the right way, and when we do, we might jump on somebody,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said postgame. “It’s about making our opponents feel us executing our defense the right way every possession, not giving up any easy baskets in transition and finishing it with the defense rebound.”
Before the game, Brown credited the Knicks’ recent sluggish starts to poor defense. With the playoffs on the horizon, his team had to start on the right foot.
“A lot of it has been our defense,” Brown said. “In the first quarter, we’re 19th [in the league] right now, and fourth quarter, we’re first by a mile. So for us to bring that same sense of urgency to start the games defensively, it’s going to be big for us.”
Against Charlotte, the Knicks were down 24-14 early and eventually trailed by 21. Versus the Thunder, they started down seven. In Houston, those struggles were glaring when they faced an early 22-5 deficit.
But across their past two games — albeit against subpar opponents — the Knicks have improved.
The Knicks led the Grizzlies by 17 after one half. Hart credited the offensive success to aggressive ball movement. Friday, that stretched to a whopping 37-point halftime lead.
“Tonight, we just came out with a different energy,” Miles McBride said. “The first five really set a tone, and the bench follows.”
Early on, the Knicks had success wanted inside, accruing 40 first-half points in the paint. Usually known for his rebounding, Mitchell Robinson dropped 15 of his 17 points in the opening half — his most in a game since mid-December.
Defensively, they lived up to Brown’s wishes, too. Chicago had one point and zero made buckets until about five minutes left in the first quarter and shot 35 percent at halftime.
The blistering start helped New York easily close out the win. For a team looking like it was headed south, it was a welcome sign as the postseason looms.
