Jalen Brunson didn’t have it, but every other Knick did as New York won its second straight

It’s 1:30 a.m. Roughly three hours ago, the buzzer sounded as the New York Knicks humbled the Brooklyn Nets 114-104, their eighth consecutive win over their rival from across the East River. I’m congested, I have a headache and my nose won’t stop running. But those are symptoms. I can outlast them. I will outlast them, with proper sleep, hydration and medicine. Most of you are probably thinking I’m dramatic for even mentioning it. 

That’s how I feel the Nets can be related to today, from a Knicks point of view. It’s not convenient to play them four times a year. They’re young and feisty, amidst a rebuild from the ashes of a terrible sequence of roster moves for the second time in 15 years. But just because New York has improved consistently over that span without making the same boneheaded gambles doesn’t mean they can ignore Brooklyn or chalk them up to a win. If anything, there’s a larger spotlight on Knicks/Nets matchups now, as fans and the media rush to point out parallels or isolate learning curves one could have taken from the other. It’s the classic big brother/little brother approach: If big brother is doing so well, why wouldn’t little brother be instructed to follow in his footsteps?

Neither club has sustained success long enough for either’s to be labeled “big” or “little.” Yes, there are championship banners in New York. Do we really need to open that 50-plus year old can of worms, though? How many do you think are still wriggling around in the can? The answer is slim to none. Scratch that. The answer is none. But the Knicks certainly seem like they’ve hit their growth spurt, while the Nets are potty training years into the making. 

Look no further than the Knicks’ best player having an off-night and the Nets failing to capitalize for all the example you need of two teams on different timelines. Jalen Brunson scored just 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting. It didn’t matter. This game never looked at risk for the Knicks. Cool, calm, collected, determined, unphased – however you want to describe New York, this win was as much a certainty as any of the 109 they’ve recorded against New Jersey/Brooklyn.

Notes

• What’s the opposite of a gamble? That’s what has become of OG Anunoby’s contract with the Knicks. I’d empty my bank account to be able to go back in time and watch his work this offseason. Out of all the talent in New York, it’s Anunoby who’s shown up the most prepared. And that’s what you want out of a guy who just signed for $212 million. 

• That clip is from a 22-foot two, but Anunoby’s real progression has been from 3-point land. He’s put up 75 threes the first 13 games, on pace for roughly 473 attempts on the season. Brunson attempted 526 last season as the Knicks’ number one option. Mikal Bridges shot 529 last year in the same role for Brooklyn. Did I mention Anunoby’s shooting 37% from deep with the uptick in volume? Well he is, and he hasn’t missed a beat on defense either.

• Onto the other half of WingStop™, Bridges finished with 43 points (18-of-35 from the field, 7-of-17 from three), 11 rebounds and six assists over the two-game sweep of the Nets. Who said a little home cooking couldn’t break a case of the yips? Bridges is so, so, so fun to watch as he gets his footing underneath him. But that’s probably only because we know what kind of player has been waiting on the other side of the awkward and rough acclimation period. The Knick defense-to-offense turnstile has been dizzying and infinitely rewarding, all the same, and almost always involving Bridges, the fan- and media-proclaimed “connector” of these new-look Knicks.

• Karl-Anthony Towns returned after missing Friday’s game with a left knee contusion. He clocked out after only 29 minutes, leaving room for leftovers if necessary: 26/15/6 plus a steal and a block. I anticipate I watched as much, or less, of the Minnesota Timberwolves as most New York faithful last year. The passes we’ve seen from Towns aren’t just impressing, they’re jaw-dropping. Has he always had this in the bag?

• I couldn’t help but think of Jimmy Butler when watching this one. On both sides of the floor stood guys he once confronted as teammates. He was right about Ben Simmons, but wrong about Towns. As the Knicks keep climbing, they’ll lean on Towns when they stop to catch their breath. Nothing we’ve seen so far has given me any pause as to whether or not he’ll carry the team, or at the very least hold the team up.

• I think it’s hilarious that Brunson got a highlight like this on a night where he shot 21%.

• We have a saying in recovery: “If I do today what I did yesterday, and do tomorrow what I do today, then I’ll stay sober.” It’s a reference to the small wins people can amass when going through the early phases of getting sober, and erases anxiety or panic about the viability of a life without mind-altering substances. Likewise, New York just needs Josh Hart to do today what he did yesterday and do tomorrow what he did today. The little things. He doesn’t always have to do them with the grandeur of Sunday night’s performance for the Knicks to win – 20/8/8, including three makes from deep. His hustle knows no bounds. I firmly believe that where he goes, this team goes. Brunson is the leader of this team, but there’s something to be said for the guy operating around the margins, double-checking that knots are tight and screws aren’t loose. 

• Cam Payne is fun. More, please.

• Another night without Miles McBride didn’t mean minutes for Tyler Kolek. Likewise, a strong performance Friday didn’t mean an appearance yesterday for Ariel Hukporti. But we did see Pacôme Dadiet playing some stellar defense. New York finished +9 in his nine minutes.

• Yes, all of Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart played 40 or more minutes. I’m not sure how to quantify that, and I don’t think it will change. So why should I? When the team is losing and guys are playing heavy minutes, I’ll give myself permission to get frustrated. Until then, this is all a part of the Tom Thibodeau experience. We’ve no concrete evidence it’s for better or for worse. Sunday was fun. Don’t let the minutes rob you of those hours of joy.

It’s 2:30 a.m. I’ve got to get up early for a long day of some hands-on, physically challenging work. When I get home, the Knicks, on the second night of a back-to-back, will be preparing to host a 2-10 Washington Wizards team as hungry for a win as any team in the Association. How will they show up? I hope they get more sleep than I’m about to.