CHICAGO — Mitchell Robinson was sick. He made that clear several times in the locker room Wednesday night, right after he logged 36 minutes and saved his best for overtime.
How sick?
“Very,” Robinson said.
Robinson is the comedian of the Knicks’ locker room, and we’re estimating 60% of his answers are sarcasm or jokes. For instance Wednesday night, Robinson deadpanned a remark about refusing the interview because he needed to post on his OnlyFans page, which most likely doesn’t exist.
But the sickness stuff — dead serious.
“I’m still sick,” Robinson said.
There were moments in the when Robinson was clearly laboring, when the illness was affecting his stamina. He still produced toward his bread-and-butter with six offensive rebounds, taking advantage of his length by sneaking under the basket when his defender — — had to contest a drive in the paint.
But Robinson was also getting worked in the post by Vucevic, one of the craftiest centers in the NBA.
Then in overtime — with the game in the balance — Robinson executed two clutch plays to save the victory, including a rejection on Vucevic under the basket with 1:37 remaining, preserving a 3-point advantage. It was an impressive defensive maneuver that required Robinson to absorb Vucevic’s body and not sell out to the pump fake.
Vucevic, a two-time All-Star, was surprised.
“He anticipated very well,” Vucevic told the Daily News. “I thought I had him. I went to kind of extend him a little bit. I didn’t think he was going to get it. I don’t think many players would’ve gotten it. But he’s really lanky and has huge arms and was able to time it really well. I really thought I had him. But he made a helluva play, a great recovery.”
Robinson said he made an in-game adjustment to Vucevic’s post moves, which led to the rejection.
“He kept getting under my arm and I had to really sit down and beat him to the spot,” Robinson said. “So that was really the main adjustment, just beat him to the spot. Just learning his moves.”
This is relevant not only to the Knicks victory Wednesday, but also to the rematch Friday night at the United Center. Assuming the illness doesn’t keep him out, Robinson thinks he has Vucevic’s post move figured out.
“Now I done learned,” Robinson said. “It’s over with.”
NO MSG FOR ALL-TIME GREAT
It’s always a show when Stephen Curry makes his annual trip to the Garden, especially last season when he set the NBA’s all-time 3-point record.
But the two-time MVP won’t play in Tuesday’s game at MSG because of a shoulder injury, according to ESPN, which reported Curry is out “a few weeks.”
Ticket holders are likely bummed out but it should boost the Knicks’ chances of beating the defending champions. They haven’t won against the Warriors at home since 2013.
It also continues a remarkable stretch of stars missing games against the Knicks, , the Hornets without LaMelo, the Timberwolves without Rudy Gobert, the the Suns without Chris Paul, the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic, the Nets without Kyrie Irving and the Sixers without Joel Embiid.
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