Tom Thibodeau sounded an alarm this week when he decided to put an end to the heartwarming homecoming for Kemba Walker, pulling him from the starting lineup and the rotation just 20 games into his return to New York.
The Knicks responded, showing fight to the final buzzer — and even beyond as Julius Randle angrily went at referee Jason Goldenberg and had to be escorted off the court by Thibodeau, who guided him to the locker room. But the fight wasn’t enough to get the win.
Thibodeau yanked Walker from the rotation and opted for Alec Burks to boost the defense, and while Burks did his job offensively, he was hard-pressed - like many others - to find a way to slow down James Harden and the Nets.