Hill Thrills Garden, But Knicks Fall to Warriors
Jordan Hill received a pass from Chris Duhon on a fast break midway through the third quarter and threw down a one-handed dunk on Golden State’s Stephen Jackson. Then the rookie ran back on defense and swatted away Jackson’s layup attempt.
The Garden fans got a first-hand look of what Hill could bring to the Knicks this season and head coach Mike D’Antoni got to see Hill for the first time in extended minutes.
Hill, who started the second half after the Knicks fell behind by 14, hit all five of his shots and finished with a career-best 10 points in a career-high 14 minutes in the Knicks’ 121-107 loss to the Warriors on Friday night. After the game, D’Antoni indicated that the lottery pick could continue to see more playing time over the next few games.
“I wanted to see Jordan,” D’Antoni explained. “I thought he was OK. He does some things that are good. He still has a lot to learn, but I’d like to keep playing him to see what happens. The next three days are going to be important through practice to find a group that I want to go with.”
Hill entered the game for the first time to begin the third quarter and provided an offensive spark right away. He scored eight points in the third before going to the bench after picking up his fourth foul in nine minutes.
The Knicks outscored Golden State 28-20 in the third quarter.
“(D’Antoni) told me to step it up and bring the energy,” Hill said. “In the first half, the energy wasn’t there and he wanted to try out some new things now. He said he wanted me to go in the second half and to give it all I got.”
It was only the second time Hill has played in front of the home crowd since being selected eighth overall in last June’s draft. Hill, who has appeared in five games this season, scored six points in five minutes against the Cavaliers at the Garden on Nov. 6.
Hill showcased his entire offensive repertoire by scoring on two midrange jumpers, a layup off an offensive rebound, a tip in and the powerful dunk that could have been the play of the game.
“I never knew how long I was going to be in the game so I just went out there and just played my hardest,” said Hill, who also had three rebounds. “I did what I love to do, and that’s play basketball.”
Hill wasn’t the only Knicks rookie who played well offensively. For the fourth straight game, Toney Douglas reached double figures in scoring as he poured in 15 points off the bench. He is averaging 18.3 points on 55.2 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent from downtown over the previous four games.
Douglas returned to the bench after making the first start of his career Wednesday against Atlanta. He was feeling under the weather after Thursday’s practice and D’Antoni decided to go with Larry Hughes at shooting guard instead. “Yesterday after practice, I was out of it,” Douglas said.
The Knicks will have three more practices before they begin a two-game road trip Wednesday night in Indiana. They return home Sunday against the Boston Celtics.
“This is not where we want to be, but this is reality,” Douglas said. “We just have to come everyday in practice and bust our butt and give it all we have. At the end of the day, it’s all about effort and it’s a pride thing.”
Game Notes: Danilo Gallinari posted 19 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career. … Gallinari, who went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, entered the night leading the NBA with 30 3-pointers. … New York recorded its fourth sellout in seven games. … The Knicks shot a season-best 48.8 from the field.
Click here for more on Jordan Hill.
