There could be some internal conflict within the New York Knicks. When facing the Portland Trail Blazers, Mikal Bridges admitted he asked Tim Thibodeau to limit the starters’ minutes. He cited playing heavy minutes as taxing on the body. But the Knicks’ head coach was stunned by his admission. “We never had a conversation,” Thibs said about Bridges’ comments. Before that issue could be settled, tonight there was another disagreement between the coach and a player.

The Knicks lost to the Golden State Warriors. And the loss was quite perplexing for the Big Apple. Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble since the beginning of the second quarter. But nobody struggled more than Josh Hart. He compiled 0 points in the vital matchup. And his emotions flared out at one point.

During a timeout, the cameras caught Hart and Tom Thibodeau engaged in a spat. They could be seen arguing or disagreeing on something. The staff and teammates had to intervene. But rather than taking exception, Thibs spoke pleasantly about Hart. He understood how frustrations could have crept into the Knicks’ energizer. So he offered his support, imploring Hart to squeeze through such times.

“Yeah I love Josh. Does whatever to get us going,” he said about Hart. Thibs blamed “passion” as the reason for their dispute on the floor. That’s also the reason he knew where the 30-year-old was coming from.

“He helps this team so many different ways. It’s his hustle, it’s his defense, it’s his playmaking, it’s the rebounding, it’s the pace. But no one’s going to shoot great for 82 games. So if you’re not shooting well just do the other stuff. Normally that’s his game… Sometimes it may not go as well as you like but you got to keep going,” Tom Thibodeau said about Josh Hart.

And considering how much Hart does for the team, it can’t be without strong passion. Each time he gives the Knicks his all. Averaging the most minutes on the team, Josh Hart is among the elite rebounding forwards this season. And his effort and disruptive play is essential to the style Thibs encourages the Knicks to play.

Sadly, tonight he just couldn’t get things going.

A night of frustrations for the Knicks

Having lost Jalen Brunson to an ankle sprain, things have been complicated for the Knicks. They don’t have a recognized playmaker on the floor. That leaves Josh Hart with the responsibility and he did compile 7 assists today. However, in the absence of Brunson, a large onus falls upon the individual brilliance of their team.

Notably, Karl-Anthony Towns had an amazing night scoring 29 points and 12 rebounds in the scrappy game. Yet, he could have had such a better game had he not been carried away. The physical nature of the contest led to Towns being in foul trouble. He picked up 3 fouls just 16 minutes into the first half.

That limited him to participating in just 11 minutes through two quarters. Considering the Warriors’ lacked size, Karl-Anthony Towns could have been a huge difference-maker tonight. But things just never went to plan for the Knicks.

It was more frustrating since even with their troubles, they never really lost a grip on the game. The Warriors never led by double digits. And the Knicks continued to find ways to break their resilience. It just never happened. Some or the other way, the Warriors hit timely shots and kept momentum on their side.

For the Knicks, the loss will linger. But in terms of efforts, they pushed one of the hottest teams until the end. Once Brunson returns, their confidence and order should return as well.