Brunson's Offensive Brilliance and OG/Hart/iHart Defensive Domination = Deadly Combination

The NBA (amid controversy/backlash) has been allowing teams to play more physically late, and Thibs' gritty Knicks are taking advantage.

Final Score: Knicks 98 - Kings: 91
Record: 40-27

We'll get to the Knicks' dominant defense, which continues to stifle and strangle opponents, but we have to start with the point guard who changed the direction of a franchise. 

Jalen Brunson, just 48 removed from a 45-point masterclass in Portland, was at it again Saturday night, torching the Kings. Sacramento tried multiple defenders and defensive schemes, but none of it worked. De'Aaron Fox started the game checking JB, but it was evident he wouldn't get the job done. The Kings also tried defensive stoppers Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell, all to no avail. 

Brunson finished the evening with 42 points (17-of-28 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one block, and five 3-pointers in 36 minutes. He was also active all night on the defensive end. JB had four steals and played arguably his best defensive game of the season. 

As expected, Brunson scored plenty of big baskets down the stretch to seal New York's much-needed victory, including this gem with less than a minute remaining.  

First, Brunson calls for a screen to distract Ellis

Then, Brunson explodes by him once Ellis turns his head for a split second.

By the time Ellis realizes what’s happened, it’s too late.

See ya

Something Mike Breen has often discussed on MSG broadcasts is that one of the more enjoyable subplots of this season has been hearing opposing coaches speak in such glowing terms about Brunson. Mike Brown has been in this league for a long time. He's coached the best of the best (LeBron James in Cleveland, Kobe Bryant in LA, and Steph Curry while on Steve Kerr's staff in Golden State) and has coached/game-planned against the cream of the crop as well. 

After Saturday's game, he had lofty praise for the Knicks point guard. "Man, he's a helluva player," Brown told reporters. "I don't know if–Steph maybe––we blitzed anybody as much as we did Jalen tonight, try to send two at him. And he still scored 42 points. He shot over 50% from the field. The rest of the team shot 34% and scored 56 points… We sent the double team at him every single time he came off the pick-and-roll in the 2nd half and probably half the time in the first half."

"He's a helluva player," Brown said, shaking his head. "Brunson, I mean, he's a helluva player. There are some things we can clean up with him, but man, he's a helluva player."

Yup, that pretty much sums it up, coach. 

I've noted in this space before that we must do our best not to take Brunson's brilliance for granted, so let's attempt to put his recent exploits in historical context. Saturday in Sacramento, JB became just the fourth Knick in franchise history to record 40+ points in consecutive games, joining Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing. 

Notably, Brunson is the first NY guard with back-to-back 40-Burgers. 

Maybe the craziest part about Brunson scoring more than 40 points in two straight games is the fact that Knicks fans aren't surprised/shocked that Jalen Brunson scored more than 40 points in two straight games. He's been that good since the moment he set foot in NYC. 

"You almost come to expect what Jalen did," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It's every night, and it's big play after big play. Every time you need a big bucket, he comes up with it."

Imagine trying to convince a Knicks fan 18 months ago that the Knicks point guard would be one of the five best scorers in the NBA. This is a fanbase that has spent the better part of the 21st century in PG purgatory.

Consider this: 
Total number of 40-point games by a Knicks starting PG over the previous 15 YEARS before JB signed with New York:
2

Total number of 40-point games by Brunson over the past THREE DAYS:
2

Or, zooming out even further, how about his one:
Total number of 40-point games by a Knicks starting PG over the 45 years from 1977 through 2022 (when NY traded Walt Clyde Frazier to when they signed Jalen Brunson):
8

Total number of 40-point games by Jalen since he signed with New York:
11

Great PGs hold a special place in New Yorkers' hearts, making Brunson's arrival much more meaningful. 

Let's fully appreciate the greatness we get to witness. 

Still, even with Brunson scoring efficiently against the Kings, the rest of the offense struggled, as Mike Brown alluded to above. Thus, the Knicks would not have been able to escape with a victory had it not been for their defense stepping up once again. 

New York held the Kings to just 91 points on 35% shooting. Incredibly, it's the fifth straight game the Knicks have held their opponent to fewer than 94 points while shooting 40% or below from the floor and less than 34% from behind the arc. That's the longest such streak by a Knicks team this century. 

New York is the first team in the league to check each of those boxes in five straight games since the Utah Jazz in 2015. 

This most recent defensive performance was the most impressive. The Kings entered the game averaging over 118 points per game. They last scored fewer than 95 points at home in April 2022. 

During this current five-game stretch, the Knicks are allowing a microscopic 91.4 points per 100 possessions. Yes, of course, that leads the NBA. But what's staggering is that the team that no other team in the NBA is allowing fewer than 107 points per 100 possessions. 

The NBA (amid controversy/backlash) has been allowing teams to play more physically late, and Thibs' gritty Knicks are taking advantage. 

With Brunson leading the way offensively and the team's defense playing at an elite level, this Knicks squad is a scary team no team in the league would want to deal with over a seven-game series. 

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 After tweaking his surgically repaired right elbow Thursday vs. the Blazers, OG Anunoby was listed as questionable heading into the weekend. However, he did suit up Saturday night. The good news is that he was able to finish the contest and didn't seem to suffer any setbacks. However, he looked like he was conscious of protecting his right arm, and his jumper looked off. Anunoby was just 1-of-8 from the floor and 0-of-4 from three-point territory. 

Nonetheless, he's such an impactful and determined defender that he was still able to positively impact the proceedings. OG was +6, the highest plus-minus among all NY starters. 

His overall numbers since being acquired from Toronto remain ridiculous. The Knicks are 15-2 in the 17 games he's played.

Here are the highest individual +/- Net Ratings per 100 possessions among qualified players in 2024:
1. OG Anunoby: +24.5
2. Jalen Brunson: +14.9
3. Donovan Mitchell: 14.2
4. Jayson Tatum: +13.2
5. Derrick White: +12.4
6. Isaiah Hartenstein: +12.4
7. Jaylin Williams: +12.3
8. Kristaps Porzingis: +11.9
9. Paul George: +10.9 
10. Herbert Jones: +10.5

What OG has done is not normal. Over the last nine games he's appeared in, the Knicks are 9-0, and New York has outscored their opponents by 163 points in the 316 minutes he's been on the court. 

Over that same two-month stretch, the Knicks are 8-10 in the game OG has missed and been outscored by 40 points without Anunoby on the floor.  

🏀 As great as OG was on the defensive end last night, the game ball goes to Isaiah Hartenstein. iHart authored his best all-around performance since prior to the All-Star Break (and his Achilles issues), tallying seven points (3-of-3 FGs), 14 rebounds, four blocks and a steal in 28 minutes. 

Domantas Sabonis played very well in the first half, but iHart put the clamps on him after the break. Sabonis scored just three points in the third quarter and was held scoreless (0-for-3 from the floor) in the final frame. In the second half, Sabonis had more turnovers (4) than points (3) 

The combination of Anunoby and a healthy Hartenstein makes the Knicks torture to score against. 

🏀 Well, it took roughly five weeks (or 14 games and three quarters), but the Detroit Duo finally paid some dividends. Alec Burks scored 12 points (4-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) to go along with three rebounds, two assists, and two 3-pointers in 18 minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic tallied nine points, five rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 24 minutes off the bench. Each provided a burst of much-needed offense at the start of the fourth quarter with Brunson on the bench. Let's see if they can keep it up.  

🏀 New York improved to 40-27 with the win on Saturday. It's the first time they have won 40+ games in back-to-back seasons since 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 (fitting that NY's 40th victory came on the same night Brunson became the first Knicks PG ever to score 40+ in consecutive contests).

🏀 Newsday's Steve Popper reported that Thibs said Julius Randle has still not advanced to "taking any real contact." Not overly encouraging. 

🏀 Standings Watch:
Saturday's results:
Pacers beat the Nets (Big night for Siakam: 28/11/4 with three steals)
Sixers beat the Hornets (Tobias Harris sat, but Batum played well in a spot start)
Cavs lost to the Rockets
Donovan Mitchell, who missed seven games due to a left knee bruise, scored just 13 points last night and sat out most of the fourth quarter. It is painfully obvious he's operating at far less than 100% right now. 

"I mean, no disrespect to some guys, but I'm not really blowing by people right now, and that's disappointing and it's affecting me," Mitchell said after Saturday's loss. "I want to be out there, but it's clear as day, even to myself. I can't fool myself. We'll get it right and be ready for when that time comes." Mitchell said he will likely sit out Monday's game vs. the Pacers. The Cavs are 4-6 in their last ten games and lead NY by just two games in the standings. 

Sunday's Games: 
Miami plays at Detroit (Jimmy Butler has been ruled out due to a right foot contusion)
Bucks host the Suns (Giannis won't play b/c of a hamstring issue) 
Magic host the Raps

🏀 Next Up: Knicks play at Golden State Monday night (10:00 pm tip)

The Warriors have been up and down of late (3-4 in their last seven games), but they played well in a victory over the Lakers on Saturday night. Steph, who was celebrating his 36th birthday, scored 31. Klay Thompson chipped in 26 off the bench, and Jonathan Kuminga had 23. Draymond Green had missed the previous contest due to back soreness but played Saturday and stuffed the stat sheet (six points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds).

Good News for the East Coast folks: This is the last Knicks game this season that tips off after 9:00 pm