Jalen Brunson's feeds satisfy Karl-Anthony Towns' appetite for scoring
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson goes to the basket as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo defends during the first half of an NBA game Wednesday in Miami. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
After a loss to Cleveland on Monday night in which Karl-Anthony Towns attempted only eight shots, Jalen Brunson took it on his shoulders to fix it, saying, “It’s on me as a teammate to make sure we’re all on the same page, making sure everyone’s eating.”
And minutes into Wednesday night’s game in Miami, it was obvious that Towns would not go hungry this time. He got eight shots in the first quarter alone on the way to a 44-point effort to lead the Knicks to a 116-107 win that evened their record at 2-2 and began the four-game road trip on the right foot.
But more than Towns leading them in scoring, it was an indication of Brunson leading, too, finding a way to continue to fit the pieces together on the revamped roster. He took only three shots in the first quarter and still ended up with 22 points (18 in the second half) as the Knicks overcame a 13-point deficit, and he seemed determined to get the offense working smoothly.
“[Brunson] was very intentional,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It was well-documented Towns hadn’t gotten going yet this season and Brunson mentioned that he’s going to take the responsibility to get him the ball, and he did. It was very clear they were trying to get him the ball and Brunson was kind of just facilitating in the first half, and when he needed to make plays in the second half, he was able to do that as well.”
Some of it was the defense that Spoelstra and the Heat threw at the Knicks. Some of it was Brunson’s own early shooting struggles in the game. And some of it was his determination to get it all to fit together, playing off the ball at times and searching out teammates.
“I think we did a good job of just feeding the hot hand,” said Brunson, who had nine assists. “[Towns] was hot and we were just playing through him . . . We trust him. I think we made — I made — a great adjustment from last game. Even though my shot wasn’t falling, I’ve got to feed the hot hand.
“I’m going to find a way to make an impact on the game regardless of how it is. I’ve got to read the game, figure it out, how I’m going to help my team regardless of what the situation is. Whatever role is necessary within the game, we’ve got to make adjustments to make sure I do that. That’s all it is.”
Ideally, the Knicks’ upgrade in offensive talent will lead to a balanced attack, taking pressure off Brunson to deliver every night. Josh Hart took over the ballhandling duties at times and joked after Brunson found him cutting through the lane for a layup, “Yeah, he finally found me on the cut. I’ve been cutting all year. He finally found me.”
“I thought he read the game really well,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought his playmaking was very effective, and that’s what I like. There was a lot of cutting going on, which generated good opportunities for us. I think when you help somebody else, oftentimes you’re helping yourself. And so I thought that’s what generated a lot of good looks for us.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
