Monday night was the benchmark performance of what will be Donte DiVincenzo’s record-breaking season for the New York Knicks.
In a 124-99 win over the Detroit Pistons, DiVincenzo knocked down a franchise-record 11 3-pointers while dropping 40 points — all while trying to stifle verve that came from doing so in front of an electric, sold-out Madison Square Garden.
“Honestly, [star guard Jalen Brunson] was like, ‘bro, slow down,'” DiVincenzo said after his performance. “The crowd was speeding me up. That emotion when you get a sliver of space and you had knocked down nine or 10 of them, and you need that last one, as soon as you catch the ball, you hear the crowd.
“We have the best fans in the league but in that moment, it ramps you up. So Jalen was like, ‘slow down, take your time, and shoot the ball.’
With those 11 3’s, the 27-year-old moved past Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson for the third-most made field goals from beyond the arc in the NBA with 234 this season. It has also put him within seven of Evan Fournier’s franchise record of 241, which was set during the 2021-22 season.
All of this comes during DiVincenzo’s first season with the Knicks after signing with the Knicks this summer. He had never made more than 150 3-pointers in a season and had not attempted more than 378 — both of those coming last year as a member of the Warriors.
But DiVincenzo has received an expanded role in New York, starting more than 50 games and averaging over 27 minutes per game for just the second time in his career. Not only does his 585 attempted 3-pointers obliterate his previous career high, it ranks fourth-most in the NBA, which is a byproduct of the trust between him and his former Villanova teammate in Brunson.
“When you look at the way our team is built out, there is so much attention on Jalen,” DiVincenzo said. “For me, having the confidence and the ability to stretch the floor and take away some of the pressure from him so not everybody can load up on him, and then you just put it on him to make the right decision. He’s so unselfish.”
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Pistons head coach Monty Williams was understandably less enthused about DiVincenzo’s big night, even criticizing the Knicks for feeding the guard when the game was well in hand.
“I don’t care about their team. I couldn’t care less,” Williams said. “Those guys, the way they got those 3’s. I don’t want to be a part of that story.”
DiVincenzo remained steady after the game, saying that he had “the utmost respect,” for Williams.
“I can’t speak for how they feel,” DiVincenzo said. “All I can say is that I have the most respect for them. If they felt that way, that’s a conversation to be had off-camera.”
His teammate, Josh Hart, who was coming off yet another triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, opted to give Williams and his Pistons some advice.
“If you don’t want to be part of the story, tell your guys to defend better,” Hart said. “I don’t know what else to say. We had a guy that’s hot. We’re going to try to find the guy that’s hot. That’s common sense in basketball. He’s a head coach in the league, I think he has the IQ to know if someone’s hot, you go to them. They’ll be a part of the story regardless.”
