KAT, Knicks Brutalize Bucks at MSG
Final Score: Knicks 116 - Bucks 94
Record: 4-4
Jalen Brunson's jumper wasn't dropping Friday night. He missed all five of his three-point attempts and was just 6-of-14 from the floor. Over the previous two seasons, when Brunson stalled offensively, the outcome was often unfavorable. Heading into last night, New York had lost six of the eight games in which JB scored 15 or fewer points on 14+ FG attempts.
However, in years past, the Knicks did not have the option of running their offense through Karl Anthony Towns.
Once Brunson and his teammates recognized that Towns was feeling it, they began feeding the Bodega KAT. And the results were remarkable.
KAT came out on fire Friday night, knocking down his first three 3-pointers in the first quarter. When Bucks center Brook Lopez tried to chase him off the stipe, Towns blew past him for a pair of thunderous dunks. By the time the two teams returned to their respective locker rooms for halftime, Towns had poured in 27 points, and the Knicks were up 19.
Due to the score being so lopsided, KAT logged just three minutes in the fourth quarter but finished the game with 32 points (12-of-20 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 11 rebounds, five assists, and four 3-pointers. In the process, he became the first center in Knicks franchise history with at least 30/10/5/4 in a single contest.
Remarkably, it was the third time this season he's racked up more than 30 points, more than ten rebounds and at least four treys in a game. No other player in the NBA has more than one such game this season.
The hype was awfully high coming into this season for the newest Knick, but Towns has exceeded expectations early on. Not only is he the first player to average at least 24 points and 12 rebounds in his first eight games as a Knick, but (per Basketball Reference) he's just the third player in the last 40 years to average 24+ points and 12+ boards over his first eight games for a franchise, joining Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.
As if the counting stats weren't impressive enough, KAT's efficiency on the offensive end has been mind-boggling. The dude is shooting 52.7% from the floor, 55.6% (!!) from downtown and 90% from the free-throw line.
Of course, Thibs (who has drawn up more screening action for KAT) and Towns' teammates deserve some credit for putting him in position to succeed, which brings us back to Brunson. JB dished out a game-high nine dimes in Friday's win and didn't commit a single turnover. Brunson posted a game-high +28 plus/minus as well.
"It's going to take time to be cohesive, like how we were at the end of the year last year," Brunson said after the victory. "It's kind of a different team. So for us, we have to continue to gel every single day and keep learning."
It was another balanced attack from New York, as all five starters scored in double-figures for the seventh straight game (a franchise record).
The ball movement vs. the Bucks was magnificent. Four starters dished out at least five dimes, and New York finished the contest with 35 assists on 43 made baskets. It's just the second time since 2014 that the Knicks have posted an assist percentage above 80%.
In their four wins this season, the Knicks are averaging 293 passes and 46 potential assists. They are averaging 274 passes and 36 potential assists in their four losses.
Of course, offense is only half the battle. While New York's team defense wasn't perfect vs. Milwaukee, they did enough to secure the victory. Although there were some noticeable flaws on that end, OG Anunoby's individual defense was nothing short of masterful.
Anunoby's primary assignment was Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he put the clamps on the former MVP, limiting Giannis to just five points on 2-of-8 shooting when guarding him directly. OG also switched onto Dame Lillard on several possessions and more than held his own. Per NBA tracking data, Lillard was 0-of-4 when defended by Anunoby.
Very few human beings on the planet are equally effective at guarding Giannis on the block and Dame on the perimeter. Ogugua Anunoby is one-of-one.
"You guys want to talk about offense, but I think defense is what won us the game tonight," Towns told reporters. "OG is special. He's so special.
"What he brings to the defense, I've been in the league for a decade now, and I don't know if there's been another guy like OG in my lifetime. One of the best defenders I've ever seen, and I played with Rudy Gobert [in Minnesota]. Man, he's special."
Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:
🏀 Mikal Bridges shot 7-of-18 from the field on Friday en route to 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers in 37 minutes.
From the corners, Bridges has been as good as advertised. He's knocked down a league-leading 15 corner treys this season (three more than any other player in the league) and is shooting a scorching 57.7% on those attempts. He is also shooting above 73% in the restricted area and a team-high 69% in the mid-range.
However, it's been ugly elsewhere. Bridges is just 5-of-30 on above-the-break three-pointers.
But I will credit Mikal for attempting a heave from behind halfcourt right before the halftime buzzer last night. For a player whose 3PT% has been a talking point for the past month, seeing him put the team first is encouraging. Plenty of players prioritize their own stats and protect their precious percentages.
🏀 In addition to the defensive domination noted above, OG racked up 14 points (4-of-12 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), six rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 32 minutes… Josh Hart did Josh Hart things, once again flirting with a triple-double by tallying 11 points (4-of-5 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), nine rebounds and seven assists.
🏀 Miles McBride had another solid effort off the bench, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two triples… Although it's not saying much, Jericho Sims played arguably his best game of the season, providing good energy to go along with five boards, a steal and a dunk…. Westchester native Matt Ryan saw his first action as a Knick in garbage time and drilled a three-pointer. It had to feel fabulous for the former Mr. Basketball in New York.
🏀 The Knicks' second-leading scorer off the bench on Friday was Tyler Kolek, who tallied eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two treys in 16 minutes of action. Yes, it's a small sample size, but Kolek is shooting over 69% from the floor (9-of-13), 75% from behind the arc (6-of-8) and 100% (4-of-4) from the charity stripe in six appearances this season.
He earned some praise from the Captain on Friday. "As a teammate, off the court, I love him. On the court, he's the hardest worker, Brunson said. "He's gonna have a long career."
Yes, Kolek has struggled defensively at times, but since Draft Day through Summer League and the preseason, this kid has proven he is ready to play in the NBA and positively impact winning. There will be some bumps in the road as he gets accustomed to the pace of the game, but Kolek should absolutely be a part of the Knicks rotation on a nightly basis. If that means demoting Cam Payne, so be it. If that means expanding the rotation early in the season, that's also okay.
The bottom line is that Kolek should play every night.
🏀 New York was once again outscored in the paint Friday night, but the Knicks grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds, winning the battle on the boards (48-41), and committed just seven turnovers (five fewer than Milwaukee).
In each of their four wins this season, New York has won both the TO and REB battles.
🏀 Complete list of players to shoot at least 50% from three-point territory (min 30 attempts), 90% from the free-throw line and dish out 20+ assists over the first eight games of an NBA season:
Chauncey Billups in 2004
Steph Curry in 2018
Devin Booker in 2019
and
Karl-Anthony Towns in 2024
🏀 "The guys in this locker room have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable and want me to play my game," Towns said after Friday’s win. "Obviously, there's gonna be times we have to find the cohesiveness, and we're not used to playing with each other, but every single day we're getting better… Every single day, we're working on ourselves, and as a team, we're finding different ways we can utilize each other's talents better."
🏀 Next Up:
Knicks play the Pacers on Sunday (5:00 pm tip)
The Pacers fell to 4-5 on the season when they got crushed by the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday night. Indiana raced out to an early 13-point in the first quarter vs. the Hornets but were then outscored by 33 points the rest of the way, losing 103-83.
Andrew Nembhard did not play Friday due to left knee soreness, which has been nagging him this season. Indy lost backup big Isaiah Jackson for the remainder of the season after he tore his Achilles earlier this week.