Knicks Notch Gutsy Win As Fans Nervously Await Brunson Update

The Knicks were missing their starting point guard, and their starting small forward, and their starting power forward and their starting center. But they have heart. And Hart.

Final Score: Knicks 107 - Cavs 98
Record: 36-25

The Knicks were missing their starting point guard, and their starting small forward, and their starting power forward and their starting center. 

But they have heart. And Hart. 

What a night…

On New York's first possession of the game Sunday evening in Cleveland, Jalen Brunson crumbled to the floor in pain, clutching his left knee. It appeared to be a non-contact injury, and Knicks fans from coast to coast immediately began envisioning worst-case scenarios. Brunson is more than just the team's best player; he's the face of the franchise and is in the midst of an All-NBA season. 

As Brunson hobbled off the court Sunday night, unable to put any weight whatsoever on his left leg, it appeared as if his, and the Knicks, season might have ended in an instant. 

However, as the night wore on, encouraging news began to trickle in. First, the team announced he was questionable to return, instead of immediately ruling him out. Then, after the game, coach Tom Thibodeau said he received "good news" from the medical staff, who informed him that X-rays on Brunson's knee were negative. We'll get into the additional info we have in a bit… 

Yet, while fans watched countless agonizing replays of the injury, Brunson's teammates were tasked with winning an important contest sans JB, OG, Randle, and Mitch Rob.  

The Sixers beat the Mavs earlier in the day, which meant a New York loss would have the Knicks out of the top 4 in the East for the first time in a long time.

To have a chance on Sunday, NY would need solid PG play. Enter Miles McBride. Deuce checked in for Brunson 47 seconds into the first quarter and never checked back out. McBride was fanatic throughout, tallying 16 points, five assists (without committing a single turnover), and four 3-pointers (including the final triple of the game in the final minute, sealing the victory for New York). Deuce also did a solid job on the defensive end, holding his counterpart, Darius Garland, in check, which was especially important since Donovan Micthell and Caris LeVert were sidelined for the Cavs. 

An old sports cliche states, "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready." Deuce deserves tremendous credit for being prepared to handle that kind of unanticipated workload. "That speaks volumes to [McBrides's] conditioning, his competitiveness, his tenacity," Josh Hart told reporters after the win. "At the end of the day, once you're in it, that competitive nature really kinda just takes over. He had that. For him to play 47 minutes straight — it's absurd."

McBride was unfazed. "I feel fine, honestly. That's what I put in the offseason work for. I prepare my body for this," Deuce said. "You never know what's going to happen. [Brunson] should be fine, hopefully, but got to be ready for anything."

Donte DiVincenzo said McBride benefited from having "them young legs." Well, DiVincenzo has a scorching hot right hand. With Brunson sidelined, DDV knew he would need to shoulder increased responsibility on the offensive end and was up to the task. He poured in 28 points (11-of-22 FGs) to go along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and six 3-pointers in 39 minutes.

DiVincenzo is now on pace to shatter the Knicks' all-time single-season 3PT record. Sunday was the 16th time he has knocked down five or more three-pointers in a game in 2023-24. John Starks is the only Knick with more such games in a single season (18 in 1994-95).

And only one player in the NBA has made more treys in 2024 than DiVincenzo… Steph Curry. 

Yet, the star of the night for New York was Josh Hart. Last year, we nicknamed Hart "Mr. Everything Everywhere All At Once." And he lived up to that moniker vs. the Cavs, racking up 13 points (5-of-12 FGs), 19 rebounds, ten assists, two steals, two blocks, and three 3-pointers in 45 grueling minutes.

In New York's previous contest vs. Golden State, Hart had 14/18/7. He is the first and only player in Knicks franchise history to grab 18+ bounds and dish out 7+ assists in two straight games.

"I was just having fun," Hart said. "When a guy goes down, you have to find a way. We had to go out there and play our game."

In many respects, this was arguably the Knicks' most impressive/inspiring win of the season. It's a testament to the culture established by the head coach and front office, and a credit to the heart/guts of guys like Deuce, DDV and Hart. 

"The thing about us is we're gritty," DiVincenzo said. "We're collectively together. There's not one guy who wants to go out there and outshine anybody. That's our goal: win the game. It doesn't matter how we do it."

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Bojan Bogdanovic also deserves praise for his production off the pine. Bogey shot 8-of-15 from the field en route to 20 points with three rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer in 30 minutes… Isaiah Hartenstein stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of eight points, seven boards and a season-high eight dimes… Alec Burks had eight points in 11 minutes off the bench… Jericho Sims was once again solid backing up iHart. Sims didn't score but had six boards and two blocks while posting a team-high +17.

🏀 Okay, onto the Brunson stuff…