Play.
The Hawks had a seven-game win streak.
Alec Burks and Evan Fournier scored 20 and 23 points, respectively, as the Knicks defeated the Hawks. There is a time and a place for this.
3:02 PM
The New York Knicks will be without guard Kemba Walker in Tuesday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.
"It's a tough decision to make, but you always have to do what you think is best for the team," he said after practice. It would be difficult to play three small guards together because I view Kemba as a starter. I have great respect for who Kemba is as a person and all he's accomplished in this league, and I gave it consideration.
I have to do what's best for the team.
Walker was benched in favor of Alec Burks. Walker, a four-time All-Star and New York City basketball legend, returned home this summer on a two-year, $20 million deal after being bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder following a trade from the Boston Celtics.
After seeing Burks go for 23 points in 39 minutes in Saturday's win in Atlanta over the Hawks -- a game Walker didn't play in after scoring 17 points in New York's loss to the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden the night before -- Thibodeau has decided to put
I want to make the rotation tighter. I liked the way the team functioned, so it will be the same as in the Atlanta game.
Walker is averaging career lows across the board, including points (11.1%), rebound ( 2.6), assists ( 3.1), field goal attempts per game (9.8) and minutes (24.5). Through 12 games in November, he averaged 10 points on 39% shooting overall and 29% from 3-point range, a drastic decrease from his early season numbers.
New York's starting lineup has not worked. The team's typical starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson is the NBA's most-used five-man lineup. It has been the worst defensive team in the NBA, with a rating of 118.9. When Walker is on the court, the Knicks are out scoring teams by 11 points per 100 possessions.
After the Celtics signed him to a four-year max contract in 2019, Walker left Boston to sign a max deal with the Nets. After making the All-Star team his first season, and helping Boston reach the Eastern Conference finals with strong play in series victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors along the way, Walker struggled with knee issues last season, missing 29 games in the regular season and the final two games of
Brad Stevens made his first significant move as president of the franchise when he traded Walker and the 16th pick in the NBA draft to the Oklahoma City. Horford has fit right into Boston's lineup, particularly with starting center Robert Williams missing a lot of games with various injuries.
Walker was able to return home to New York to play a smaller role with his hometown team after agreeing to a buyout with the Oklahoma City. After being benched down the stretch several times, along with other members of the starting lineup, as New York's bench has consistently outperformed it, Thibodeau decided Monday to take things a step further.
The Knicks are currently in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. New York is three games behind the Nets, and one behind the 76ers.
