Knicks Takeaways from Friday's 123-111 loss to the Pelicans, including their fifth straight loss

Taj Gibson led the Knicks with 19 points and eight rebounds

1/11/2020, 2:40 AM
Jan 10, 2020; New York, New York, USA; New Orleans Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram (14) drives to the basket against New York Knicks power forward Bobby Portis (1) and shooting guard RJ Barrett (9) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sportsundefined
Jan 10, 2020; New York, New York, USA; New Orleans Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram (14) drives to the basket against New York Knicks power forward Bobby Portis (1) and shooting guard RJ Barrett (9) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sportsundefined

The Knicks dropped their fifth straight game on Friday, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans 123-111 at Madison Square Garden. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Friday's game

1) Taj Gibson led the Knicks with 10 points in the first quarter on 5-for-5 shooting, while Mitchell Robinson brought energy off the bench and scored six points on three powerful dunks. However, the Pelicans led the Knicks 33-31 after the first quarter thanks to 10 points from Brandon Ingram and seven points from rookie Jaxson Hayes off the bench.

 

2) The Pelicans were on fire from distance in the first half, shooting 12-for-21 from three. While the Knicks stuggled from deep, shooting 4-for-12 behind the arc. The Pelicans led the Knicks 67-61 at the half as Ingram had 17 points and five assists, including a buzzer-beating foul line jumper.

3) Gibson finished the night with 19 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting. While Robinson also was perfect from the floor, going 6-for-6 on the night with 12 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

4) With both Marcus Morris (sore neck) and Julius Randle (personal reasons) out, the Knicks were without their two leading scorers. The lack of shooting showed as the team shot 18.5 percent from three and 46.5 percent overall from the field.

5) RJ Barrett nearly registered a double-double on Friday night, having 16 points and nine rebounds. The rookie did have a powerful slam dunk in the third quarter that made former college teammate and Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson crack a smile on the bench. The Duke products got to catch up during the pregame shootaround, though Williamson did not play.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks will stay at home at face star Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on Sunday at 3:30 PM.

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