Austin Rivers literally could not miss against the Jazz (Video)
Austin Rivers #AustinRivers
Austin Rivers went absolutely nuclear for the New York Knicks Tuesday night.
Maybe Austin Rivers wanted to bounce back from a couple of poor performances. Maybe he was due for a great game. Maybe he heard the Derrick Rose trade rumors, or maybe it was all of the above.
Whatever the case, Rivers played like a man with something to prove in the New York Knicks’ road game against the Utah Jazz Tuesday night. In just 12 minutes of action, he quickly worked his way up to 25 points, going completely nuclear as he made his first 10 consecutive shots off the bench.
In the process, he helped the Knicks build a 59-46 halftime lead over the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
By making all 10 of his shots and all five of his 3-pointers, Rivers was absolutely sensational for New York off the bench. Funnily enough, even with this scoring barrage, he was only a plus-6 at halftime, but there’s no question his detonation is what made the difference for the Knicks in that first half.
It remains to be seen whether Rivers can carry this hot shooting display into the third quarter, and whether head coach Tom Thibodea will give him more than just 12 minutes in the second half if it continues, but for now, we can all sit back and marvel at the forgotten Rivers doing his thing for a surprisingly competitive Knicks squad.
On the season, the 28-year-old guard came into the night averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.8 minutes per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range. If Tuesday’s performance holds, he’s bound to boost his numbers across the board.