One Evan Fournier file down — yet another to go.
Beginning guard Donte DiVincenzo erupted for 11 threes within the Knicks’ 124-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
His hot-shooting night time set a brand new franchise file for many threes made in a sport, eclipsing a mark Fournier set hitting 10 threes in a Jan. 6, 2022 revenge sport towards his former group, the Boston Celtics.
The only-game file, in fact, is merely the cherry on high to the ice cream sundae that’s the Frenchman’s single-season franchise file.
Fournier made 241 threes within the 2021-22 season.
DiVincenzo drained three-pointer No. 234 on Monday, fittingly towards Fournier, who defended him on his fourth and tenth made triples of the night time.
The Knicks traded Fournier to the Pistons together with Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and second-round draft choose compensation within the deal netting Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Now from 11, the main focus shifts to eight.
Seven extra threes to tie, eight extra threes to make historical past.
And with 11 video games left on the schedule — together with two developing towards below-.500 groups within the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs — DiVincenzo doesn’t simply threaten Fournier’s file: He’s threatening to interrupt the file this week.
The Knicks are additionally clearly searching DiVincenzo threes: He tried 20 photographs from downtown in a 40-point efficiency towards the Pistons and made his final two threes as a starter on the ground with the Knicks up greater than 20 within the closing five-and-a-half minutes of regulation.
Detroit’s head coach Monty Williams was irate after the sport.
“I don’t care about their group in any respect. I might care much less,” Williams mentioned when requested about DiVincenzo. “These guys, the way in which they received these threes, I don’t wish to be part of that story.”
Josh Hart had a pointy response after listening to Williams’ feedback.
“If he don’t wanna be a part of the story, he ought to have informed his guys to defend higher,” he mentioned after the sport. “What am I imagined to say, bro? We’ve received a man that’s sizzling, so we’re gonna attempt to discover the man that’s sizzling. That’s frequent sense in basketball. He’s a head coach on this league, so I believe he has the IQ to know if somebody’s sizzling, you go to them.
“So that they’re gonna be part of our story regardless.”
DiVincenzo didn’t have as harsh of a criticism for Williams as Hart.
“All I can say is I’ve the utmost respect for them,” he mentioned. “And in the event that they felt that approach, that’s a dialog available off digicam.”
DiVincenzo is having a profession yr following each his insertion into the beginning lineup over Grimes and the OG Anunoby commerce sending key offensive choices RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors.
He’s averaging 17.2 factors per sport since his everlasting promotion to the beginning lineup on Dec. 8 and 19.1 factors per sport because the Knicks acquired Anunoby on Dec. 30.
DiVincenzo ranks second behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry in threes made per sport because the Anunoby deal and is taking pictures 38.6% on greater than 10 threes per sport throughout this span.
The Knicks signed DiVincenzo to a four-year, $46.8 million deal as their lone offseason acquisition over the summer time.
Their funding is paying fast dividends: DiVincenzo is one step nearer to creating Knicks franchise historical past.