Just like he did last year in the playoffs against the Heat, Mitchell Robinson largely thwarted the Nets’ “Hack-a-Mitch” strategy Friday night.
Robinson, a 56 percent free throw shooter this season, made five of eight shots in the final minutes to help secure the Knicks’ 111-107 victory over the Nets.
“It was great. I miss all the games and stuff,” Robinson said. “I focused on my free throws. It paid off tonight.
“I feel like I’m going in the right direction. There are a few things I still need to work on. Conditioning is the most important. Hourly. Stuff like that.”
Robinson had played an average of 15.3 minutes in eight appearances since returning March 27 following ankle surgery in December.
But with Isaiah Hartenstein out for Achilles maintenance, Robinson played 25 minutes Friday night, including the entire fourth quarter.
“Mitch makes plays that no one else can make in terms of impact on shots, pick and roll coverage. So I thought he was great,” Thibodeau said. “Mitch can cover a lot of ground and I thought that was huge for us.”
Hartenstein played 33 minutes in Thursday’s win over Boston, his most since Feb. 6, before missing several games leading up to the All-Star break due to injury.
“Just management, just where we are with everything,” Tom Thibodeau said. “It was just a back-to-back game, but it lasts about 30 minutes. We had a guy at the scorer’s table to knock him out, but the game didn’t stop. It’s like that.”
Asked if he expected Hartenstein’s recent minutes restriction to extend into next week’s playoffs, Thibodeau said, “It’s a medical question.”
Miles McBride was also sidelined due to a non-COVID-related illness. … Jericho Sims started at center and scored two points with four rebounds in 23 minutes.
New York Post
