Demise, taxes, and lengthy, bodily defenders guarding Jalen Brunson.
It’s the blueprint opponents have embraced to decelerate the Knicks’ star guard — whose singular scoring powered a battered New York roster to 50 wins and the Japanese Convention’s No. 2 seed final season.
And to a level, it’s labored. Losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks confirmed that shutting down the pinnacle of the Knicks’ offensive snake is a confirmed system for victory.
“He’s gonna see that,” head coach Tom Thibodeau stated after the sport. “You’ve gotta be smart.”
The New Orleans Pelicans tried to observe go well with. It backfired spectacularly.
Brunson began slowly in Saturday’s matchup, held in examine early by All-Defensive First Crew ahead Herb Jones and dynamic combo guard Dejounte Murray. However then the Knicks’ All-Star erupted for a season-high 39 factors on 13-of-19 capturing from the sector, fueling a 104-93 comeback win on the Smoothie King Middle — New York’s thirteenth victory in its final 17 video games.
“A fire got lit, and I found a way to make a couple of shots and turn some defense into some good offense,” Brunson stated in his walk-off interview. “And from there on, obviously, we found a way.”
Brunson’s explosion was a masterclass in resilience.
He scored simply six factors within the first quarter and 4 extra within the second earlier than lighting up New Orleans for 29 within the second half.
“In our second quarter we struggled, and then we were searching,” Thibodeau stated. “And then Jalen obviously, the shot making and lifting everyone up. We were struggling and then just found a way to win.”
Sixteen of these factors got here within the third quarter alone, the place Brunson drained 4 three-pointers to assist erase a 14-point deficit.
Brunson acknowledged he’s seeing a shift in how defenses are guarding him this season.
“A little bit. It’s different every night,” he stated. “I’ve gotta stay focused, knowing that it’s not always the same, so I can’t get frustrated thinking it’s gonna be the same or be easy. I’ve gotta get my teammates involved and stay aggressive.”
The efficiency marked Brunson’s 62nd 30-point sport since becoming a member of the Knicks two summers in the past. He now ranks seventh in franchise historical past in that class, simply 5 shy of Willis Reed, with Patrick Ewing (203) and Carmelo Anthony (108) topping the record.
At this fee, Brunson could surpass Melo by subsequent season.
Even in opposition to defenses decided to frustrate him, Brunson continues to search out methods to dominate. In opposition to the Pelicans, he focused mismatches, ramping up his aggression when matched in opposition to defenders not named Jones or Murray. His 7-of-10 capturing from past the arc was one other dagger — he entered the sport capturing a career-high 43.1% from three-point vary.
“You’ve gotta read the game, and once I saw one go in, I had another good look, and I knew it was time to go,” Brunson stated. “We got the lead, and from that point on, we played well with the lead.”
Brunson’s heroics had been desperately wanted. The Knicks struggled after Karl-Anthony Cities obtained into early foul bother. Cities had two fouls within the first quarter and logged simply 42 seconds within the second interval. He completed with 11 factors and 10 rebounds, an uncharacteristic low-scoring sport in a season he’s erupted in scoring in New York.
“That was a challenge. The foul trouble with KAT sort of knocked us out of rhythm, and then we were sloppy with the ball,” Thibodeau stated. “That was a problem, but then I thought Mikal [Bridges] got going, and he and OG [Anunoby] defensively in the third [quarter] were terrific.
“The big thing is KAT’s fouls. I wanna take a look at them. I think some of them we can fix with discipline. And so that took us out of our rhythm. We’ve just gotta be better with that.”
New York struggled out of the gate in opposition to the Western Convention’s worst group, tied at 28 coming into the second quarter.
The Pelicans, lacking Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, constructed a 14-point lead halfway by means of the third quarter earlier than Brunson flipped the change. The Knicks outscored New Orleans 33-26 within the third interval, then held the Pelicans to simply 18 factors within the last body.
The Knicks, who scored simply 45 factors within the first half, poured in 59 over the ultimate two quarters — practically half coming from Brunson alone.
Josh Hart returned to the lineup after lacking Thursday’s sport in Minnesota for private causes and delivered a flexible stat line: 14 factors, eight rebounds, 5 assists, two steals, and a block.
Bridges added 18 factors on 7-of-16 capturing, and all 5 Knicks starters scored in double figures — a necessity given the bench managed simply six complete factors. Nonetheless, Jericho Sims and Valuable Achiuwa contributed on the glass, combining for 15 rebounds off the bench.
“When Jericho was in there, his defense had a big impact on the game,” Thibodeau stated.
The Knicks (18-10) now return to Madison Sq. Backyard, the place they’ll host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday earlier than welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day.
“There’s always still room for improvement, but I think we’re in a good space,” Brunson stated. “We’re finding ways to win… and most importantly, we’re sticking together.”
Initially Printed: December 21, 2024 at 10:39 PM EST
