INDIANAPOLIS — The Knicks reserves left Tom Thibodeau perturbed.
After the starters again played well in their preseason minutes Tuesday, the bench folded in the fourth quarter and blew a double-digit advantage for the Knick’s first preseason defeat, 109-100, to the Pacers.
“There wasn’t any defense being played, so that was a big problem,” Thibodeau stated. “If we’re taking the ball out of the net, we can’t get the ball up. Guys were beating us with the same move. That should never happen. We got to straighten that out.”
The culprits were spread throughout the second unit, but Immanuel Quickley (4-for-18 shooting), Miles McBride (1-for-6) and Cam Reddish (3-for-10) were especially inefficient.
Defensively, backup center Isaiah Hartenstein said the Knicks never adjusted to Pacers big man Goga Bitadze popping to the 3-point line after setting a pick. Bitadze scored eight points in eight minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Pacers ended the game hitting nine of their final 10 points.
“They started popping. We haven’t really done that defense,” Hartenstein said. “That was the biggest thing. We didn’t know what to do in that situation. We didn’t play hard enough. We weren’t in the right position, especially defensively.”
Thibodeau kept in line with his vague descriptions and didn’t specify Indiana’s pick-and-pop as the issue.
“A pro can beat you on a move. But once he gets you once — if your concentration is there, it doesn’t happen again,” Thibodeau said. “So it wasn’t any particular one [move].”
The struggles are especially , who doesn’t have a spot in the rotation if the roster is healthy. The Knicks must decide by next week whether to extend Reddish’s contract. If not, he’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer.
“Obviously the bench could’ve played better. I don’t like to put it on one person,” Thibodeau said. “I know you guys like to say it’s this guy or that guy. The group has to function well. That’s the bottom line.”
, who dropped 24 points on the Pacers three nights earlier, managed only seven shots and eight points in 24 minutes Tuesday.
“You can find an excuse every night. You got to make good,” the coach said. “That’s the bottom line. There’s no excuses. There’s no feeling sorry for you. So whether you’re here a week, a year, five years. You got to know what your job is. You got to do what your job is.”
On the flip side, the starters — especially Julius Randle — were again positive.
Randle, whose regression last season was marked by too many turnovers, missed shots and isolations, has combined for 13 assists with just two turnovers through three preseason contents.
He gave the Knicks five assists and two turnovers Wednesday, demonstrating a willingness to give up the ball before the defense traps. Nothing was forced. His decisions were quick.
“It’s more than just Julius. It’s how is Julius fitting in with the starters? How are the starters playing as a unit? That’s more what I look at,” Thibodeau said. “How are we complementing Julius? How are we bringing the best out of Julius? How is Julius bringing the best out of his team? I’ve been pleased with our starters in general.”
The addition of Jalen Brunson has provided the Knicks a point guard to take away the dribbling duties from Randle, who has looked less like the point-forward of his previous two campaigns. It’s been largely positive for the starting lineup, which has won its preseason minutes.
Still, Thibodeau warned that preseason offers less resistance.
“Obviously you can play well in a preseason game and I look at it as such,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a preseason game. And so, obviously as you go further and the regular season comes, the intensity goes up also.”
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