November 14, evening.
After rushing back to their home court, the Knicks faced another game on the second night of a back-to-back.
This time, the Houston Rockets had come to New York to challenge them.
After trading away James Harden, the team had spent a while tanking.
Their biggest star now was Kyrie Irving, who had just put his off-court troubles behind him, though his reputation had taken a hit.
Next was the 2016 Number One Pick, Ben Simmons, whom the 76ers had given up on and sent to Houston.
In theory, this pair of top picks in the backcourt should have been capable of playing at a high level if they put it all together.
But that was only in theory.
In reality, Simmons had gotten injured again~~
After playing just five games in the new season, he suffered another shoulder injury and began a long stretch of rest~~
He was reportedly expected to return sometime between late January and early February next year.
Whether he would actually come back then, what level he would play at, and how long he could stay healthy afterward were all anyone's guess~~
In any case, with Simmons sidelined, Irving carrying the team alone, and the roster lacking depth, the Houston Rockets soon fell to the Knicks.
The game ended with the score at 120–112.
The Knicks' victory that night was powered by Toppin, who kept up his stellar play with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Jerami Grant, who chipped in a steady 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
At this point, with Rose out injured, those two were Chen's most reliable right-hand men.
Thibodeau had finally begun giving Toppin more minutes over the past few games.
He had noticed that the Knicks' frontcourt trio of Chen Xi, Grant,