Why, Leonard? Knicks Drop 3rd in a Row, Clipped by LA

The New York Knicks put up another respectable effort sans Jalen Brunson but were unable to top the Los Angeles Clippers.

Without Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks' dreamy season has turned into a nightmare.

Missing their premier point guard for the third time in four games, the Knicks dropped their third contest in a row on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers 106-95 in the second part of a four-game road trip. Kawhi Leonard put in 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, which proved to be more than enough to withstand a double-double from Brunson’s starting five replacement, Immanuel Quickley (26 points, 10 rebounds).

Combined with previous losses against Charlotte and Sacramento, New York (39-30) has now dropped three games in a row for the first time since a four-game drought from Jan. 16-22. The Knicks also fell back to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, though they still have a three-game cushion on Miami to avoid the Play-In Tournament. Each team has 13 games left on its regular season docket.

Sans Brunson, the Knicks fell behind early at 16-6. A spirited, if not sloppy effort ensued from there on out, with the Knicks managing to narrow the gap to one by the end of the first quarter at 20-19 despite a brutal shooting effort: with Julius Randle struggling (2-of-11 in the first half), Brunson replacements Quickley and Quentin Grimes manned the fort to tune of a united 15 points on 6-of-11 from the field. 

Despite Paul George tallying 13 of his 22 points in the second quarter alone, the Knicks managed to take a small lead into the halftime break. Depth stars took center stage as Josh Hart hauled in six points and three rebounds over the dozen minutes while Obi Toppin had eight points.

But the Knicks lost control after a back-and-forth third period where neither team led by more than three. New York seemed poised to go into the final frame with the lead but Randle more or less summarized his brutal evening with a technical foul assessed when he elbowed Mason Plumlee in a tussle for a rebounding. Resulting free throws from Leonard and Plumlee tipped off a 9-0 run for Los Angeles (36-33) that carried over into the final frame and created a permanent lead for the hosts. 

Kawhi Leonard today

38 points
4 rebounds
2 assists
63.6% FG (14/22)
50% 3FG (3/6)
100% FT (7/7)

Been reminding everyone that when healthy he has an argument for the best player on the planet pic.twitter.com/xSSAlRF4Iu

— Coast 2 Coast (@Coast2CoastNBA) March 11, 2023

En route to their third win in a row, the Clippers led by as many as 14 in the fourth to likewise earn the first sweep in the yearly couple against the Knicks since 2019. Los Angeles also won its third in a row after a five-game losing streak opened the post-All-Star slate and held an opponent to less than 100 points for the first time since Jan. 22. 

Randle finished a frustrating evening 5-of-24 from the field, once again setting a season-worst after doing so on Thursday against the Hornets. 

The Knicks will have no time to dwell on this latest loss, as they immediately return to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night to battle the Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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