Break Up the Knicks
We're up to five in a row, ladies and gentlemen. Things are getting interesting.
After beating the Bulls 128-120 Wednesday night in Chicago, the Knicks extended their winning streak to five games, which is the longest current streak in the Eastern Conference.
It looked like New York might cruise to victory after amassing a 14-point lead early on and going up by double-digits in the second half. However, things got very dicey in the final frame, with the Knicks falling behind on multiple occasions.
And with 24.7 seconds left in regulation, the Knicks had a chance to close out a win with a well-executed possession. Instead, Julius Randle dribbed around for about 20 seconds before launching a ridiculous, off-balance, fade-away jumper from the baseline that failed to hit the rim. Was that the best look they could get!? NY's offensive sets throughout the fourth quarter were incredibly predictable and uninventive.
As the teams prepared for overtime, Knicks fans couldn't help but feel frustrated. Were the "Knicks gonna Knick" and snap their win streak?
Who can blame them? For the better part of the past two decades, New York fans have become accustomed to watching their favorite team blow big leads down the stretch and crumble in the clutch. The primary reason for their offensive ineptitude late in games has been the franchise's lack of a true point guard.
Well, as the late, great Biggie would say, Things Done Changed.
Jalen Brunson scored seven points in the extra session, or four more than the entire Bulls team combined. After sending Alex Caruso tumbling to the court, JB nailed a three-pointer with less than a minute remaining to seal the win.
Keep in mind, Brunson was fully expected to miss this contest. In Sunday's victory over Sacramento, he injured his foot (along with his hip and shoulder). He was seen in a walking boot on Tuesday. As I wrote earlier this week, I thought the Knicks should rest JB even if he were cleared by the medical staff, as he has been nursing several ailments in recent weeks. But one of the reasons New York was so determined to add Brunson this offseason was his mentality and relentlessness.
On Wednesday, he wanted to send a message to his team. And make no mistake, the Knicks are now HIS team. "I don't want to give anyone the notion that I'm healthy, but I just didn't want to take today off," said Brunson after the win. "Me as a leader, if I'm able to walk and I'm able to play, I've got to bring it."
Brunson gutted out 39 minutes Wednesday night and finished with 30 points (11-of-21 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), seven assists and three 3-pointers.
"It says a lot about him. It's everything," Thibodeau said. "Coming in, [getting] multiple treatments every day. That becomes his game; it becomes his practice. He's been through so many different things. He has a strategy for everything. He just gets out there and gets it done."
It's already the third time this season that JB has tallied at least 30 points and seven dimes. He's the first Knick point guard with more than one such game in a season since Stephon Marbury in 2006-07.
And it's when Brunson has scored those points that matter.
The NBA defines "clutch" situations as any time the game is within five points with less than five minutes remaining. The Knicks have played a total of 58.7 such minutes this season. Incredibly, Brunson has scored 58 points in those 58.7 mins, while shooting 47.4% from the floor, 42.9% from downtown and 90.5% from the free-throw line. He also has six assists vs. just one turnover.
Brunson ranks fourth in the NBA in total points scored in the clutch in 2022-23 despite ranking outside the top 20 in clutch minutes played.
The only other player in the league with more than 55 points in the clutch and an FG% north of 45% is Luka Doncic. The only other player in the NBA with 40+ points and a slash line of at least 45/40/90 is Damian Lillard.
How vital has Brunson's production been late in games this season? Julius Randle is 7-for-20 (35%) in the clutch. RJ Barrett is 3-for-16 (19%) and has four times as many turnovers as assists.
Last season, the Knicks blew fourth-quarter leads time and time again. (Alec Burks scored 41 points in 114 clutch minutes on 30% shooting). And it wasn't just last year. In 2018-19, the Knicks' leading clutch scorer was Emmanuel Mudiay, and Allonzo Trier ranked third. Think about that for a second.
But this Knicks squad has a point guard they can count on. Not just to show up when he's banged up, but to deliver when the game's on the line. It's impossible to overstate how important a top-tier PG is in today's NBA. And it's impossible to overstate Brunson's importance to the suddenly streaking Knicks.
About Last Night:
🏀 We got another Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde night from Julius Randle on Wednesday. The good: He once again cleared the 30-point plateau and added 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three 3-pointers in 46 minutes. The bad: Randle was 1-of-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, and the offense often stagnated as he failed to make quick decisions with the ball in isolation situations.
Nonetheless, the dude is averaging 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.0 made treys over his past four games. Much of that production has come in the first half, but make no mistake, he's playing incredibly well on the offensive end and is obviously a crucial contributor to the Knicks' recent run.
🏀 Brunson and Randle each reached 30 points and seven assists. Per Basketball Reference, it's only the third time that two Knicks had at least 30 points and seven dimes in the same game and the first time since Stephon Marbury and Keith Van Horn did it on January 31st, 2004.
🏀 Other than Brunson's buckets, Quentin Grimes hit the biggest shots of the night, including two huge three-pointers. Grimes had 14 points (on only eight FG attempts), five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers in 37 minutes. His two-way production elevates the Knicks' upside dramatically.
🏀 RJ Barrett had his third straight good game, tallying 22 points, six boards and a couple of assists. Most encouragingly, RJ knocked down a season-high four three-pointers on seven attempts. During this three-game stretch, Barrett is averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 made triples while slashing 47/44/84%. Over his last seven games, he is shooting 39% from behind the arc (14-of-35). Good to see him trending in the right direction.
🏀 Also, credit to RJ, Randle and Brunson for once again logging heavy minutes last night. The durability of the Knicks' three leading scorers has been essential to New York's success. While teams throughout the league deal with crippling injury issues, RJ/JR/JB have played in each of the Knicks' 28 games this season and have logged 682 minutes on the floor together. That's far more than any other three-man lineup in the league. In fact, no other trio has played more than 609 minutes. So, essentially, the Brunson/Randle/Barrett combo has played two more full games together than any other three-man group in the NBA this season.
🏀 With Hawks, Raptors, Bulls and Wizards all losing last night, the Knicks continue to gain ground in the East. New York is now in sole possession of the six seed. Only four teams in the conference have more than NY's 15 this season. And the Knicks are one of only six teams in the NBA with a winning record on the road. The other five are the Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets, Blazers and Clippers.
🏀 The Knicks entered Wednesday's game shooting a league-worst 31% from three-point territory but knocked down 18 of their 34 triple attempts vs. Chicago. If you are looking for reasons to believe the Knicks can continue to improve, it's safe to assume they'll start shooting the 3-ball more consistently.
🏀 The Knicks will stay in Chicago and take on the Bulls again on Friday night. One bummer during this quick two-game road trip in the Windy City is that Derrick Rose hasn't been able to check in and receive a standing ovation. Not sure how many more trips D Rose will make to his beloved hometown. To his credit, the vet continues to act like a true pro. When asked about being benched, Rose replied, "I can't complain if we're winning."
🏀 FYI: Make sure you subscribe to "Orange & Blue Bloods," a WFAN/Audacy Original podcast I am hosting this season with my guy EJ Stewart. A new episode will drop this afternoon recapping last night's win, and then we'll post another episode tomorrow morning previewing Friday's re-match.
🏀 FYI Part 2: As a thank you for the tremendous support of the "What's on Tap" Newsletter, I'm giving away a signed Latrell Sprewell jersey this Christmas! Everyone who upgrades to a paid subscription this month will be entered into a random drawing to win the Spree jersey!
Another great write up, Tommy. Thanks for providing sanity and insight into the miasma of the NYK!