Knicks Rout Team China, Improve to 2-0
Proving that the previous night's demolition of the Seattle SuperSonics wasn't no mirage in the 110-degree Las Vegas heat, the Knicks won an 88-65 laugher over Team China on Tuesday night. Despite coming off a thrilling victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the young Chinese team was no match for the athletically superior New York squad, which once again played a total team game en route to the victory.
The star of the game was once again second-round draft choice Demetris Nichols, who was forced to enter the game off the bench due to a stomach virus. Still, the young guard refused to let that slow him down, leading all scorers with 14 points on four of seven shooting, including 3-for-5 from downtown. His 14 points came in a span of only 16 minutes.
Nichols has clearly impressed even the Knicks veterans. At one point during a live interview on NBATV, forward Malik Rose interrupted his thought to remark that "Nichols makes every shot, especially the tough ones!"
One night after frustrating Kevin Durant with his stifling defense, Renaldo Balkman turned in another magnificent performance to shut down the 2007 NBA Draft's sixth overall pick, Yi Jianlian. The Milwaukee Bucks first-rounder was limited to three points, missing all six field goals he attempted while turning the ball over five times. Yi also committed nine personal fouls, many on the offensive end drawn by Balkman, which is one short of the maximum allowed in Summer League play. Yi had come into the contest shooting just 20 percent (5-25 FG) in the last two summer league games and his troubles continued in only 24 minutes of action.
While frustrating Yi, Balkman also showed his versatility and athleticism, pushing the floor and finding Randolph Morris for easy looks down low early in the first half in addition to a high flying rejection of an open three pointer for team China. He finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, five steals and two rejections.
The play of the game was a one handed alley-oop jam by Balkman off a nifty fast break pass from Nate Robinson, who had another strong game at both ends of the floor. The third-year pro registered 11 points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
“I just want to get better,” Robinson said of his decision to play in the Summer League this year. "It is better than sitting at home on the couch and working out by myself."
Rookie Randolph Morris, who finished the game with 10 points, six rebounds and one block, also played a key role on Tuesday.
Playing for the second consecutive night in the brutal desert heat, New York endured a sluggish first quarter, but Morris kept them in the game, finishing the opening 10 minutes with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting to keep the Knicks within a point at 21-20 second quarter.
It was all Knicks from that point forward, as New York outscored China 28-13 in the second quarter, giving them a 48-34 lead at halftime.
Knicks first-round pick Wilson Chandler finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and three assists along with a nasty block on Ke Mo late in the first half. Chandler also showed surprising range, hitting two of three shots from behind the arc.
For the second straight night, New York dominated the boards, out rebounding Team China 34-23. They also forced their opposition into 29 turnovers. On the offensive end, the Knicks shot an impressive 46.7 percent from the field.
The Knicks are one of only six unbeaten teams out of the 22 teams competing in the NBA Summer League. New York will look to make it three in a row when they face the Sacramento Kings in their third of five Vegas games on Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. ET. That game will air on MSG.
