NEW YORK — When all else fails, Tom Thibodeau’s teams can always fall back on defense. And when Elfrid Payton struggles, the Knicks have Immanuel Quickley to rescue the offense.
The Knicks carry the lowest payroll in the NBA and zero All-Star appearances on the roster, but they snapped a three-game losing streak Friday by defending Madison Square Garden like Fort Knox and riding their rookie revelation.
The Cavaliers (9-10) shot just 34.5% in their 102-81 defeat. It represented the third time the Knicks (9-11) held an opponent to under 85 points, boosting their already top-notch defensive rating.
Offensively, Quickley provided the spark again, dropping 25 points off the bench and picking up the slack for Payton. The 21-year-old needed just 25 minutes to lead the team in scoring for the second time in the last three games. Payton, whose hold on the starting spot should be considered tenuous, at best, managed just two points in 23 minutes.
It was a rough start for the Knicks and especially Payton, who was scoreless in the first half. The Knicks only scored three points in the first seven minutes, a putrid pace of about 24 points per game. But the momentum shifted after Payton was replaced by Quickley.
The Knicks ended the quarter on a 16-4 run and took a lead that it carried into the break. The Knicks never trailed in the second half.
The Knicks returned from a four-game trip to the West Coast, where they won the first and dropped the final three. Fatigue may have been a factor by the end, as guard Austin Rivers noted, but the Knicks had two days off to recover before Friday’s spirited effort.
Reggie Bullock missed his third straight game with a neck injury, prompting Thibodeau to again start Alec Burks on the wing. But the lineup was again a bust and fell into a double-digit hole.
It was already the third game this season between the Knicks and the Cavaliers, with New York now holding a 2-1 advantage. Andre Drummond pulverized New York in the previous matchup, dropping 33 points and 23 boards. But he managed just four points Friday.
Thibodeau was conscious of Drummond’s potential impact.
“He’s a load to deal with when he’s rolling to the rim, he puts enormous pressure on you,” the Knicks coach said. “If he gets the ball deep in the paint, he’s tough to stop. He’s a great offensive rebounder. It’s going to require our whole team to be aware, alert. We have to keep a body on him.”
