NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from New York Knicks vs Houston Rockets
The New York Knicks traveled to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas to face the Houston Rockets in a game, whose result was already decided by critics and fans alike. Yet, the Knicks tried their best to trouble the dominating Houston Rockets, ending up losing heavily, 96-120.
The Houston Rockets, with this win, consolidated their third place in the Western Conference. With a 52-28 record, the Rockets are now 1.5 games ahead of the 4th placed Portland Trail Blazers, who lost to the Denver Nuggets.
The Rockets have won 8 of their last 10 matches and have gone on a 5 game winning streak as well. They lost only 4 of their last 24 games and will be looking to cement their homecourt advantage, where they have won 30 of their 40 total home games.
The New York Knicks, on the other hand, have cemented their spot as the worst team in the NBA this season with a 15-64 record and are on the path of landing a top draft prospect and have won just 2 of their last 10 matches. With these in mind, let us look at the top 3 talking points from tonight's game.
#3. Mitchell Robinson might be the steal of the 2018 NBA draft
The New York Knicks had drafted Kevin Knox with much fanfare, with the #8 draft pick they got in the 2018 NBA draft in the first round. But the player who seemed to have made all the impact in the team has been the second round pick Mitchell Robinson.
2 weeks into the season, he had taken over the starting job from Enes Kanter as David Fizdale loved his athleticism and his freakishly long arms, which projected him both as a rim running and shot blocking center, something not really common in the league.
While his season has been marred with injuries and foul troubles (one game where he racked up 6 fouls in under 10 minutes), he has been one of the most dominant centers in the league of late.
Ever since DeAndre Jordan has been out, Robinson has been unleashed. His last game where he had just 1 block was on February 2nd against the Boston Celtics. He has been superb for the Knicks, both on the offense and on defense and has been efficient with his scoring.
He has averaged 2.5 blocks per game this season in 63 games and has shot 69.3% from the floor. In the loss against the Rockets, Robinson only managed 12 points but shot 83% from the field, along with grabbing 9 rebounds and swatting 5 shots in just 28 minutes. The Knicks will be thrilled with his performances and will look for him to get better next season.