The Knicks were getting destroyed on the boards in the first half Saturday night, so Tom Thibodeau decided to go smaller after intermission.
With the Knicks trailing by 13 at halftime, Thibodeau inserted Miles McBride with the starting unit to open the third quarter in place of fill-in starter Precious Achiuwa.
The move nearly worked as the Knicks opened the half and whittled the Boston lead to three, but they couldn’t sustain that momentum in an ugly 131-104 loss to the Celtics at the Garden.
“That was part of the reason why we put Deuce in the second half just to get the shooting, because of the help that was coming from the back side, just to try and open it up for [Karl-Anthony Towns] a little bit more,” Thibodeau explained.
Towns recorded a season-low nine points on only eight field goal attempts, which also tied his low for the season.
The Knicks were outrebounded 28-18 in the first half and 48-30 for the game.
Towns and Jalen Brunson both were voted in as All-Star starters for the first time in their respective careers, but the two Knicks will not be teammates at the NBA’s showcase in-season event later this month.
“It’s something new so I hope the fans enjoy it,” Towns said. “It’s going to be cool to be part of something that’s for the first time happening at All-Star [weekend]. I’m excited to be a part of it. … Just show up with a jersey on and play.”
The league announced in December the format for the Feb. 16 “game” again would be altered actually featuring three games among four teams.
Three general managers — TNT studio analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith — drafted their teams Thursday night during the network’s pregame show. Brunson ended up on Smith’s team, with Towns going to Barkley’s squad. TNT’s Candace Parker will pick the eight-player Rising Stars team.
Thibodeau joked that he’s “neutral” on the Super Bowl, which pits the Eagles — Brunson’s favorite team — against the Chiefs, who are looking to become the first team to win three consecutive SBs.
The Eagles trounced Josh Hart’s team, the Commanders, in the NFC Championship game.
“I think it’s a great accomplishment. It’s tough to win one,” Thibodeau said of the Chiefs. “Two great teams. Who is Josh Hart rooting for? I’m the opposite. But then I’d be agreeing with Jalen, so I will go opposite of him.”
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