Knicks' Jalen Brunson proves again that he can impact a game without scoring
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts in the second half of a game against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
At the end of the first quarter of the Knicks’ 139-125 home win over the Raptors on Monday night, Jalen Brunson was scoreless.
The superstar had missed all four of his shots and both of his free-throw attempts.
At halftime? Brunson was on the board with three points, but he had yet to make any of his six shots and was just 3-of-6 from the charity stripe. He had five first-half assists.
“It is what it is,” Brunson said. “I mean, I’m just happy we got the win.”
Despite Brunson’s rare off night against Toronto, the Knicks owned a commanding 18-point halftime lead. Brunson, who entered the day averaging 25.1 points, finished with a season-low-tying 12 points, shooting 4-for-13 from the field, 0-for-5 from three and 4-for-8 at the foul line. He had seven assists, two steals and fouled out in 32:08.
Yes, it was just the Raptors, who lost their eighth consecutive game Monday. But the win showed two things: Brunson can still impact winning without huge scoring games, and the Knicks are talented enough to overcome a lackluster offensive night from their top player.
“He’s going to do whatever the game needs to win,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So I thought we built a big lead. He doesn’t fight the game, right. He reads the game extremely well, and we got some guys going early. I thought he got guys into a real good rhythm.
“I thought [Karl-Anthony Towns] had a big game. I thought OG [Anunoby] was terrific on both ends, and then Mikal [Bridges] played a really solid game. I thought when Cam [Payne] went in with Deuce [McBride], they gave us a big spark there, and so we got good minutes from them. And then we have to play for 48 minutes, that’s the challenge.”
The Knicks improved to 4-1 in games where Brunson scored 15 or fewer points this season. Brunson is averaging 8.2 assists in those games, more than his 7.6 season average.
On Monday, Towns and Anunoby scored 31 points apiece and seven Knicks had at least 11 points. Brunson had just 12 points in a 114-104 win over the Nets on Nov. 17, but he had 10 assists and all four other starters had at least 20 points. Towns had 32 points and Bridges had 29 points in a 133-107 win over the Timberwolves last Thursday, when Brunson only needed to score 14 points.
“We’re good, a really good team,” Anunoby said. “So it could be anyone’s night. We’re a very talented team, so it could be anyone’s night, for sure.”
Brunson said of the balance: “I think it’s comforting for all of us … We have any guy that can do that any given night, and so it’s a luxury to have. And definitely happy, it helps us get a couple wins.”
Raptors coach Darko Rajaković raved about Brunson before Monday’s game.
“It’s very exciting,” Rajaković said. “This is [the] NBA, the best players in the world. He’s one of the best point guards in the world. For us as a young team, to come over here and to learn against that type of player, it’s amazing. … He’s such a smart player. He’s really trying to make the right play for the team. I got a ton of respect for him.”
The Knicks’ attention now turns to Christmas, arguably the NBA’s most notable day of the regular season. Brunson dominated against the Bucks last Dec. 25, scoring 38 points in a 129-122 win.
In search of their first five-game winning streak of the season, the Knicks (19-10) will welcome the Spurs (15-14) to Madison Square Garden at noon Wednesday. Does Brunson have any thoughts about playing on Christmas?
“Merry Christmas,” he said.
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
