Mike D’Antoni was clear: Nate Robinson wouldn’t be back in the rotation as long as the Chris Duhon/Larry Hughes/Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/David Lee/Jared Jeffries/Jonathan Bender core kept winning.
The Knicks arrived in Atlanta yesterday having lost three of their last four game — including an embarrassing 104-95 loss to the Nets. Hughes’ production had dropped off considerably, and Bender was unavailable.
Enter Krypto-Nate.
Robinson entered the game late in the first quarter, and — in his first game action since December 1 — carried the Knicks to a 112-108 overtime victory. He finished with 41 points — 11 of them in the extra period — on 18 of 24 shooting, and tallied eight assists and six rebounds in 38 minutes of play.
Robinson’s outburst was particularly helpful because — with the exception of Wilson Chandler (24 points, 17 rebounds), the Knick regulars were bottled up by Atlanta’s athletic, quick-switching defense. David Lee was held to 11 points, Al Harrington 13 and Chris Duhon just 6.
Hughes — who had replaced Robinson in the Knick rotation — did not play.
Does this mean Robinson is back in D’Antoni’s good graces? That remains to be seen. Robinson’s scoring ability was never in question; his professionalism and commitment to the team system — particularly on defense — are what earned him a month’s worth of DNPs. Staying in the rotation this time will depend on Robinson’s attitude — and the Knicks’ playoff positioning.
Robinson Returns, Scores 41 in OT Win originally appeared on About.com Basketball on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 11:39:43.
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