Knicks 140, Bucks 106: Willis Reed isn’t walking through that door, but Jalen Brunson’s pretty good too
The Knicks and their captain both bounced back Sunday
While it wasn’t Willis Reed coming through the tunnel in Game 7, Jalen Brunson’s return to the Madison Square Garden floor Sunday after suffering a second-half shoulder stinger had all the feels of a special moment.
Only time will tell if it’s the moment the New York Knicks need. But it was certainly one Knicks fans needed after the team lost four of five and was coming off a blowout loss to Oklahoma City. I had a feeling prior to the game that New York’s dominance from their 22-point win over Milwaukee in November would resurface after their recent handful of tough losses.
“Hot take,” I texted Kris Pursianen pregame. “We beat Milwaukee in convincing fashion today. Brunson 5 threes. KAT rim protection.”
There’s been more times where I was wrong than right. But the Sunday matinee was not one. That’s no credit to me, whatsoever. But it is a credit to these Knicks. After a long week and change, filled with angst and doubts aplenty, they reminded us who they can be. Or maybe it’s who they are.
Don’t take losses to the Thunder – the second-best team in the league on paper – as proof the Knicks aren’t contenders. New York didn’t look the part over two losses to Oklahoma City, sure. But those will be washed away, lost to history as soon as May or June, if not sooner, New York’s remaining 42-game performance pending. Brunson’s return-to-the-floor moment on Sunday, and perhaps what follows for the Knicks, has a better chance at denying the teflon trials tasked us by the sands of time. It’s gon’ stick. Even if only in my heart. Probably yours, too.
Notes
Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t a defensive demon against the Bucks. Nor did Giannis Antetokounmpo shoot above 50% from the free throw line. We can want things for players that aren’t in their nature. Sometimes it happens, albeit rarely. Still, he was every bit the menacing Robin to Brunson’s Batman New York needed: 30 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and a steal, with 13 points, six rebounds and the steal coming in the second quarter with Brunson resting.
In two games against Milwaukee, Towns has shot 12-of-19 from the floor (63%) when guarded by Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez. He’s a nightmare matchup for either of them.
What’s left to be said about Towns’ passing? For all the talk of him being (one of) the best shooting big[s] ever, how do we not talk about his touch in all-time conversations? In addition to Towns corralling the most rebounds in the league, he’s also dished the sixth-most assists of any center. Special person, special player.
Shoutout to Terry Johnson Cam Payne, who’s gotten a lot of flack for someone outperforming reasonable expectations. Payne finished with 18 in 14 minutes, with 13 of his points coming in the second quarter. New York is outscoring opponents by 6.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and Brunson off, per Cleaning the Glass. Last season, that number was 2.6 in 682 possessions with Immanuel Quickley at the helm. Just some context for ya.
It didn’t get any easier for Mikal Bridges on offense, but his defense was back to snuff and his role as connector was in full effect. After dropping a goose egg against the Thunder he scored six points against hte Bucks, though adding six assists and two blocks. That secondary initiator role remains the best way to maximize him, particularly on nights or in stretches where he can’t find the bottom of the net.
OG Anunoby shot 5-for-12 en route to an 11-point night, but was his usual self on defense, which is as good a sign as any. His work against Antetokounmpo remains some of the best in the league. The Greek Freak is just the Greek Ordinary* when guarded by Anunoby this season, who he’s shot 3-of-15 against in two matchups. $212 million to stop the most dominant player in the NBA? Sign me up. (*Ed. note: I rrrrreally wanted to make that the “Occidental Ordinary.”)
Josh Hart was Josh Hart. In wins for New York, that’s almost always the case. Sometimes in losses, too, with his efforts against the Thunder last Friday ultimately in vain. Last night he made all five of shots, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with four assists, a steal and a three in only (only!!!) 35 minutes.
Jalen. Marquis. Brunson. Yes, it’s also my first time reading his middle name. There’s a part of me relieved at seeing a performance like this, one seen so many times before, though not as much this season. But there’s another part of me that can’t help but sit in awe, as if I’m watching it for the first time. Brunson is both the best show on Broadway and a rival showstopper, dropping the final curtain on a Bucks team that entered the contest winners of three straight.
I like to think I gave Jalen the nickname “The Brunisher.” If you’ve never heard it, that checks out and doesn’t hurt my feelings at all. I like the nickname because it helps put into context just what he does to teams on nights like this. It’s completely and utterly debilitating and disabling, the way Brunson operates when he’s in that zone. A.J. Green and Andre Jackson won’t forget this one, no matter what becomes of their NBA careers. Brunson bullied both into submission, though not before embarrassing them into foul trouble. Jackson had three just three and a half minutes into the game, while Green finished the first with a pair of his own. 44 points, six assists, five rebounds, and five threes in only 29 minutes – told ya, Kris! – is what it looked like when Brunson stepped off the floor for good. That’s neither foul-baiting nor practicting the dark arts. He shot eight fucking free throws. It’s just hoops. Some real, real good hoops.
If I’m reading Stathead right – and there’s always a non-zero chance I’m not – Brunson has the league’s only 40-plus-points-in-under-30-minutes game this season. Only three players have ever done tha in a Knick uniform: Patrick Ewing in a 1988 win over the Pacers, Quickley in a 2023 win over the Rockets and Brunson Sunday. Just a couple fun ones to send you out on.
For a fan born in 1996, it was nice to see someone have an “emerge from the tunnel” moment in a Knicks win. My only previous experience was OG Anunoby’s 4:41 on the court against the Pacers last May. It’s a tale as old as time for New York. Brunson’s career with the franchise holds promise of an even greater story.