Brunson's Back… And so are the Knicks?

About an hour before tip-off, the Knicks announced that Jalen Brunson would play against the Suns on Monday afternoon. 

About an hour after tip-off, the Knicks led the Suns by 32 points.

With Brunson back after missing New York's previous three contests due to right hip soreness, the 'Bockers jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a stress-free 102-83 victory. 

Brunson finished the contest with 24 points, six assists, four rebounds and two made three-pointers in 39 minutes. He showed some rust around the rim and from the free-throw stripe (missing six of his 11 attempts) but otherwise looked like the point guard that had keyed New York's eight-game win streak in December. 

How important is it for Brunson to play and play well? New York is now 14-5 when he scores more than 20 points. New York is 5-12 when Brunson scores fewer than 18 points or is forced to sit out. 

Head coach Tom Thibodeau said having Brunson back in the lineup was "huge" due to his PG's "overall leadership." Thibs added, "That position is one of control and managing the game and the team. The good thing is we've had some guys get some experience in those situations. So I think down the road, that's going to be helpful for us."

The Knicks went on a 21-0 scoring streak in the second quarter. It's the first time NY has reeled off more than 20 consecutive points since December 17, 2019, vs. Atlanta. The two primary reasons New York was able to get off to such a great start on Monday were dominance on the defensive end and the outstanding play of Julius Randle.

Phoenix scored only 11 points in the first quarter and finished the first half with just 31. It's the fewest New York has allowed in the first half of a game since April 11, 2015, vs. the Orlando Magic.

Once again, it was Randle that led the way offensively early on, scoring 11 points and pulling down eight rebounds in the game's first 12 minutes. (For some context, Randle had 11 points on 6 FG attempts and eight boards in 1Q, while the entire Suns' team combined had 11 points on 22 FG attempts and eight boards in 1Q.)

Randle has now scored 336 points in the first quarter this season, which ranks second ahead of Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young, respectively. Luka Doncic is the only player in the NBA to have tallied more first-quarter points in 2022-23. 

By the time the final buzzer sounded in Monday's victory over Phoenix, Randle had racked up 28 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and four made three-pointers. He has at least 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists in five straight games. That's the longest streak with 28/8/4 in Knicks franchise history. He has 12 dimes vs. just two turnovers during the Knicks' current two-game winning streak. And New York is now 6-0 when Randle and Brunson each score 20+ points.

As I detailed in Sunday's newsletter, Randle is playing at an astonishingly high level of late. Over the Knicks' last seven games, he is averaging 32.4 points, 12.9 boards and 4.9 assists while shooting 51% from the floor and 40.8% from downtown. Dating back to Thanksgiving weekend, Randle ranks third in the league in total points, behind only Doncic, Embiid and LeBron (and one spot ahead of Nikola Jokic). 

On the season, Randle ranks tenth in the NBA in total points and 4th in the league in rebounds. The only other player in the top ten in both categories is Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

It's remarkable to think that during the first week of January last year, Randle, mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, reached his nadir as a Knick, when he gave the fans inside MSG a big ol' "thumbs down." In the weeks following that infamous incident, as Randle kept missing shots and playing lazily on defense, and the Knicks kept losing, Garden denizens booed Randle loudly on occasion. 

On Monday afternoon, with the Knicks up 20+ points midway through the third quarter, Randle stepped to the free-throw line and was greeted by robust "MVP" chants. It all has come full circle. 

In addition to his jaw-dropping offensive production, Randle's increased effort on the other end of the floor has not gone unnoticed by basketball-savvy New Yorkers. 

This sequence from early in the first quarter vs. PHX highlights much of what has gone right for the Knicks this season. Randle contests the three-point shooter in the corner, forcing a miss. On the other end, Mitchell Robinson hustles for an offensive board, corrals it and finds IQ in the corner:

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer

Great sequence here for the Knicks. Randle with a good close out on one end. Mitch Rob hustles for an offensive board and a no-look(?!) pass for a IQ corner 3-ball

After Monday's win, Randle told reporters that the Garden was the loudest he'd heard it since the 2020-21 season. When asked about the MVP chants, Randle replied with a smile: "It's good to be on the good side of the Garden. It's definitely a lot better feeling to be on that side."

About Last Night:

🏀 Speaking of Mitch Rob, he had another double-double on Monday, outplaying Deandre Ayton in the process. Robinson was a game-high +27 in his 35 minutes on the floor. Over the Knicks' past ten games, Mitch Rob has posted the highest plus-minus on the team by far. New York has outscored their opponents by 114 points with Robinson on the court during this stretch (Randle ranks second at +83). Quietly, Robinson has passed IQ to grab the team lead in season-long cumulative +/- (Mitch Rob is at +150, and Quickley is +130). "His impact on the rim, defensively protecting the rim, his pick-and-roll coverage is terrific," Thibs said of Robinson on Monday. "People are always looking for him. Then offensively, he's put a lot of extra work in, and he's getting more comfortable with the ball. Obviously, you're putting pressure on the rim and rolling, but the offensive rebounding is invaluable to us; it's huge. Those are big-time, multiple-effort plays he's making, so I think when guys do that, diving for a loose ball, offensive rebounding, a hustle-type play, that does nothing but inspire your team. So, I think they are feeding off his energy."

🏀 The difference between the Knicks' defense in wins vs. losses this season is almost unbelievable. In the 20 games they've won, NY is allowing just 103.1 points per 100 possessions, which ranks as the second-best DefEff in the NBA in wins. In the 18 games they've lost this season, NY is allowing 120.7, which ranks 26th among all teams in contests they've lost. No team in the league has nearly as wide a gap. 

🏀 Sum it all up, and the Knicks are now 8th in Defensive Efficiency on the season. They also rank 10th in OffEff. Remarkably, they are just one of four teams in the top 10 in both categories. The other three clubs accomplishing this feat are either first or second in the Conference standings (Brooklyn, Boston and New Orleans). Nearly halfway through the season, NY's Net Rating has climbed to +2.6, good enough for eighth in NBA, ahead of both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets, who sit atop the West at the moment. 

🏀 Derrick Rose was ruled out of Monday's matchup due to a left knee contusion. Thibodeau said Rose took a hit on the knee in the Houston game, and it flared up over the weekend. 

🏀 Deuce McBride soaked up some extra minutes with Rose out, and although he only scored three points in the contest, he continues to contribute in ways that don't show up on the stat sheet. Take this effort play, for example: Deuce switches on the screen and then sprints to Mikal Bridges to contest a corner three. McBride then hustles back and tips the ball to Randle.

🏀 DeAndre Ayton led the Suns in scoring with 12 points. Per NY PR, that's the lowest individual team-high in points against the Knicks since Gary Neal scored 12 points for the Spurs on January 3, 2013. The Suns are now just two games over .500 and tied for 8th place in the West - good news for those of us that bet the Suns under 52.5 win total :-)

🏀 Phoenix head coach Monty Williams had some lofty praise for the opponents. "They're getting better as the year progresses," Williams said. "Offensively, they feel like they have roles now. Julius is playing at an All-Star level. Quickley's like Jamal Crawford in so many ways, can just get it going. And [Quentin] Grimes is just a tough dude on both ends of the floor. He can guard, he can shoot."