Brunson's 45 Can't Save The Knicks

Final Score: Bucks beat the Knicks, 110-105
New York Falls to 2-4 

Let's start with the positive, shall we?

After a mostly sluggish start to the 2023-24 campaign, Jalen Brunson had his first "Brunon Game" of the season. The Knicks stud point guard poured in 45 points (just three shy of his career-high) to go along with five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. He was 17-of-30 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. 

It was his fifth 40-point game since the start of 2022-23, tying Walt Frazier and Stephon Marbury for the most 40-burgers by a point guard in Knicks history.

This was the Brunson we saw in the second half last season when he powered the Knicks to 47 wins and the 5-seed and then dominated matchups against elite guards in the playoffs. 

After the game, Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin (who played nine years in the NBA) had some lofty praise for the Knicks' top gun and, in particular, Brunson's incredible footwork. "I'm not trying to compare him to Kobe, but that was one of the things," Griffin said. "I had to guard Kobe all the time. Kobe had all the shot fakes, all the footwork. So he just kept you guessing. It's hard to guard when you don't know what's coming. And Jalen's proven that."

Here's what Dame Lillard had to say when asked about staying in front of Brunson: "Super crafty… He can make 3s, but he doesn't settle for 3s. He draws fouls. He knows how to position himself in front of the defender. He puts the defender in tough positions where you have to foul. You're trying to defend hard like you're taught to, and then he has you at his mercy. You attack hard, and he stops on a dime, and you run into him."

The Knicks trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half vs. the Bucks on Friday. But Brunson would not let them lie down and die. He relentlessly attacked Milwaukee, putting pressure on them all night long. JB also defended aggressively (Bucks starters were 0-for-7 with Brunson as the primary defender). His energy was infectious, and his point production didn't hurt. New York eventually fought all the way back to take a lead late in the fourth before falling short. It's obviously encouraging to see Brunson back on track. 

The other primary positive from Friday night was the play of Quentin Grimes. Not only did Grimes score a season-high 17 points (6-of-11 FGs) and knock down five three-pointers, but he also, as expected, supplied solid perimeter defense. Good things happen when New York involves Grimes on the offensive end. They need to do it more often. 

Of course, the backcourt's improved play was not enough, as the Knicks offense, once again, sputtered. 

Prior to the contest, I discussed how New York would have an opportunity to get right against a Milwaukee defense that had been sieve-like early on. Coming into Friday, Milwaukee ranked 29th in the NBA in Defensive Rating and dead last in opponents FG%.

However, in the first half of Friday's loss, the Knicks became the first team in the league to shoot below 32% from the field and below 60% from the free-throw stripe. They weren't much better after the break, finishing the game converting 39.6% of their FG attempts. The back-breaker was their inaccuracy from behind the arc. 

New York attempted 39 three-pointers and made 10 (25.6%).
Milwaukee attempted 39 three-pointers and made 20 (51.3%).

We are only six games into the season, so it's a small sample size, but the Knicks' offensive numbers are undeniably ugly. As of this morning, they rank 29th in OffEff, averaging a paltry 103.9 points per 100 possessions. 

Of the 30 teams in the NBA, 29 are shooting at least 43% from the floor field. The Knicks are shooting below 40%. Unsurprisingly, New York also ranks dead last in True Shooting percentage at 50.2% (No team finished last season with a TS% below 55 percent). New York is one of only three teams in the league averaging fewer than 22 assists per game. 

And, yes, we have reached the point in the proceedings where we must discuss Mr. Randle.