NEW YORK — Kemba from the BX was back Thursday night. It was the Kemba Walker we remember from Rice HS and UConn and even the Hornets, the Walker who used to light up Madison Square Garden and was finally giving the Knicks a homecoming moment.
Walker was back to scoring 44 points, moving from Tom Thibodeau’s doghouse to hearing his name chanted by the crowd. But as the point guard was cooking on offense, the Knicks’ defense fell apart in a 124-117 loss to the Wizards.
Walker’s impressive stat line — 43 minutes, nine rebounds, eight assists, 14-for-27 shooting — was wasted. He scored 22 points in the second quarter, but only three in the fourth. And he got little help from the other scorers, Julius Randle and Evan Fournier, as the Knicks (14-18) lost for the ninth time in their last 11 games.
Walker carried a charming homecoming story to the Knicks but his stint was derailed after just 18 starts, when he was completely removed from the rotation by Thibodeau because the lineup was awful with him on the court.
An injury to Derrick Rose and several COVID-19 infections provided Walker another opportunity, and he seized it with reminders of a time, not too long ago, when he was earning a fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.
Thursday’s performance followed two solid games from Walker, who is averaging 31.3 points and 40 minutes since returning to the rotation.
The Knicks now need his contributions. Rose is out over a month after undergoing surgery Wednesday to his right ankle, with the hope he’ll be relieved of a pain that had been a sporadic hindrance for years. The Knicks were also missing multiple players due to COVID-19 protocols, with Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel and Miles McBride all inactive Thursday.
RJ Barrett was cleared from protocols but required more conditioning before returning to a game, according to Thibodeau. Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes were also cleared Thursday but only the former logged minutes against Wizards. Grimes, the rookie who scored a season high in his last appearance before testing positive, replaced Walker’s spot on the DNP list.
Beyond the absences, the Knicks desperately need a leading man because Randle has failed miserably in that role, with Thursday serving as the latest example. The NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player had 22 points but missed all five of his 3-pointers and committed four turnovers. Fournier shot 3 for 13.
The Knicks cut the deficit to 2 with 2:45 remaining, but then allowed Wizards 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.
Benching Walker didn’t solve the Knicks’ issues. They went 2-7 with him out of the rotation, with Randle continuing his struggles and Alec Burks failing to gain traction as the replacement point guard.
He’s earned the spot back.
