Knicks clinch playoff berth with victory over short-handed Wizards
Break out the kazoos. The Knicks have clinched.
A 118-109 victory Sunday over the Wizards assured the franchise a spot in the postseason for just the second time in the last 10 years, with Jalen Brunson leading the charge while Julius Randle and RJ Barrett logged injury/illness DNPs.
James Dolan, a kazoo enthusiast, wasn’t in attendance but he’s undoubtedly happy about the circumstances. He declared the playoffs as an expectation this season, and the Knicks obliged — providing the owner the added revenue from postseason games and a hike in ticket prices for next season.
“I said it at the time, I love that we have an owner that has great belief in the team, that’s what I want,” Thibodeau said. “And our job is to work in each day — there’s no trick to this, there’s no magic to this. There’s no short cut to it. Just put the work in every day. And if you do it, you’ll get better and have a chance. And that’s what we did. ...We’re developing a belief that we can win.”
Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes scored at least 21 points apiece, as the Knicks overcame an early deficit to punish the shorthanded Wizards in the second half.
The next step for the Knicks (46-33) is to stave off the Nets (43-34) to secure the fifth spot and a first-round matchup against Cleveland.
With three games remaining, Thibodeau indicated that rest won’t be considered at least until the team is locked into a seed. That can happen with a Nets loss Tuesday against Minnesota and Knicks victory Wednesday in Indianapolis.
“We’re in (the playoffs) but there’s still some things at stake. If someone is nicked up, they won’t play. But we need to keep playing,” Thibodeau said. “We need to play our best going in. We’re young. We still have a lot of improvement. We’re not there yet. If we’re locked in, maybe we’ll consider that. But there are things we can still get done.”
Sunday was a gimme.
The Wizards sat four of their regular starters, leaving a lineup that suggested the franchise wasn’t trying very hard. It was an indictment on Adam Silver’s play-in tournament since the Wizards aren’t eliminated from the play-in tournament.
But in the NBA — where only two or three teams in the East have a realistic chance at the Finals — the draft lottery is more appealing than the 10th seed.
Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma were all out for Washington (34-44). Two of them — Porzingis and Kuzma — are hitting free agency in the summer.
The Knicks were also shorthanded without Randle and Barrett, the latter becoming a late scratch due to an illness.
Quickley and Toppin started and scored 22 and 21 points, respectively. Brunson finished with 27 points and eight assists. Quentin Grimes added 27 points on six 3-pointers. Evan Fournier returned to the rotation but logged just seven scoreless minutes. It was his first action since Feb. 12.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 10 in the second quarter – and by 8 at halftime – but retook the lead midway through the third quarter and never looked back.
Cory Kispert led the Wizards with 29 points.
“It’s a good accomplishment,” Josh Hart said. “That’s the goal to get into the playoffs and now the goal is to be the best team we can be at the right time. So we got Indy, so just got to go out there and continue to grow, continue to improve, and play our best basketball at the end of the day. It’s a good accomplishment, it checks that box, but we got to continue to get better.”
RANDLE BOOTED UP
Randle wore a walking boot on his left leg while sitting on the Knicks bench during the game.
He sprained his ankle last week and is scheduled for a re-evaluation April 14 – one day before the start of the NBA playoffs.
“Just follow the protocol they’re laying out for you,” Thibodeau said. “That’s all you can do. So work your way through it day by day. When he’s healthy he’ll go. He’s just following their protocol, a lot of treatment, that sort of thing.”
