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Knicks looking to clean up perimeter defense after concerning outing versus Nets

The Knicks’ perimeter defense mostly has been among the NBA’s best statistically since Tom Thibodeau made some key alterations to his playing rotation after a couple of horrendous defensive efforts early in the season.

But while the Knicks still ranked sixth in the NBA in defensive 3-point field-goal percentage entering Sunday’s league action, the Nets rang them up for a 22 of 40 efficiency from long distance in their victory Saturday in Brooklyn.

“I just think we were a step late, and we weren’t ready to go,” point guard Jalen Brunson said after Saturday’s game. “Just one step made all the difference. If we were there a step quicker maybe those ones that were tough shots don’t go in.

“We just gotta be ready to go and we can’t have lapses like this. I felt like we played hard in the second half, but we just can’t have lapses like that.”

Overall, the Knicks are holding opponents to a .349 shooting percentage from 3-point range through 51 games (27-24) entering Tuesday’s visit to MSG by the Lakers.

Nets
NBAE via Getty Images

Kyrie Irving sank 5-for-12 from long range in Saturday’s game, while wings Royce ONeale and Joe Harris each connected on four of seven attempts. Nets reserves Yuta Watanabe, Cam Thomas and Edmond Sumner also were a combined 6-for-6, while Seth Curry was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

“I thought offensively we were fine but we got in a hole early and we didn’t cover the line as well as we could have or should have,” Tom Thibodeau said, adding that Ben Simmons’ injury absence added more outside shooting to the Nets’ lineup. “We knew the dynamic of the team would change because of who was available, there would be more shooting on the floor for them.

“Matchups, you have to make sure you’re taking strengths away from people. After a guy makes one, you don’t want a guy to go on a run who can shoot. Some of those are mistakes. We have to clean that up.”

Soon after the Knicks were torched for 23 3-pointers by the Cavaliers on Oct. 30 and then for a franchise record 27 in another loss to the Celtics on Nov. 5, Thibodeau dropped Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish as regulars while promoting guards Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride into expanded roles within a nine-man rotation.

With the Knicks coming off two impressive wins — against Cleveland on Tuesday at home and in overtime two nights later in Boston — Julius Randle admitted they “weren’t ready [to play] for some reason” against the Nets, who also were without superstar Kevin Durant.

Knicks
AP

“We just kind of started slow. They threw the first punch, and we just were kind of playing catch-up all game,” Brunson added. “[Randle] is right, we gotta be ready to go from the start.

“I mean, we’re fighting every day. We’re trying to learn every day and trying to get better every day. So obviously you want to win every game, but we just can’t play from behind.”

Thibodeau thought his team was “very good” offensively over the final three quarters of Saturday’s loss, but he said it was the Knicks’ “defense that bothered me” as they fell to 2-4 since center Mitchell Robinson suffered a fractured thumb on Jan. 18.

“Closing out, sense of urgency, none of that. We have to be better,” Randle added. “We didn’t play well enough to win. We definitely didn’t deserve to win the game. We didn’t pick up our sense of urgency until the game went on, the fourth quarter. We have to be better from the start.”