Knicks close out regular season with 113-105 win over Nets

The Knicks closed out their regular season with a 113-105 win over the Nets in Brooklyn.

Here are the key takeaways…

-With the Knicks locked into the No. 3 seed in the East, head coach Tom Thibodeau rested all of the usual starters.Mikal Bridges was the exception, as he was on the floor for the opening tip before the Knicks immediately fouled to get Bridges to the bench. By starting the game (and playing all of six seconds), Bridges preserved his consecutive games played streak, which is now at 556 contests.

–Precious Achiuwa started at center, making his first three shots, including an end-to-end run of the floor that was capped off with a monster slam. Achiuwa had 12 points in the first quarter alone, and went on to score 18 points to go along with nine rebounds.

–Landry Shamettechnically came off the bench in this one, replacing Bridges just six seconds into the game, but his shooting prowess was on display from the moment he took the court.

Shamet knocked down his first four threes and finished the game with a team-high 29 points on 7-of-13 shooting from downtown.

Thibodeau will likely shrink the Knicks’ rotation in the playoffs, and it’s hard to imagine Shamet, one of the best three-point shooters on the team, not seeing the floor come the postseason.

-The Nets led by as many as 10 points in the first half and were up by four at the break, but the Knicks stormed back thanks to a third quarter that saw them outscore Brooklyn 27-17, with Miles McBride scoring seven points in the quarter. The Knicks led by six going into the fourth and led for the entire fourth quarter. When the Nets pulled within two points in the final minutes, Thibodeau went back to Shamet and Achiuwa, who helped the Knicks close things out.

-Outside of Shamet, the Knicks did not shoot very well as a team, which is to be expected given it was largely the reserve unit playing extended minutes with one another, something that doesn’t happen often under Thibodeau. As a team, the Knicks shot 43.0 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, but taking out Shamet’s numbers would shrink those figures to 40.6 percent and 31.0 percent, respectively.

-Sunday’s game was a nice showing for the backcourt duo of McBride and Cam Payne, who combined to score 38 points with 15 assists. Both players will likely be important for the Knicks in the playoffs.

Game MVP

Shamet, who has emerged as the Knicks’ best three-point shooter.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The regular season is over, and the Knicks’ have a first-round playoff matchup with the Detroit Pistons on tap.

While the official schedule has not been released, Game 1 in New York will likely be Saturday or Sunday.

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