Knicks get key contributions from bench in Game 3

At one point in the second half, the Knicks ran a lineup of Wright, Shamet, Miles McBride, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson. While that group can defend well, the lack of offensive creation was a concern initially, but they quietly shut that down as they helped trim a 20-point deficit to single digits.

Their defensive pressure allowed the Knicks to chip away, which ultimately led to Karl-Anthony Towns’ fourth quarter heroics with a 20-point showing in the final period. Shamet also had the highest plus-minus of any Knick who played last night with a +12.

Thibodeau trusted his bench guys and they delivered

“Our energy, I think we picked things up. Our talk and communication, which we’ve been harping on… That helps us,” Shamet said about the second half via SNY.

Thibodeau deserves a lot of credit for trusting his bench in a pivotal game. The players themselves also deserve credit for not hanging their heads down after they trailed by 20 and for putting together an inspiring comeback effort.

The Knicks still have business to take care of, but now they suddenly have momentum in the series. Game 4 in Indiana will be a big one for them, as they force a 2-2 series tie before it heads back to Madison Square Garden.