Jalen Brunson returns, helps Knicks pull away in win over Rockets
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after sinking a three-point basket against the Rockets in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Former Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were on hand at the Garden on Wednesday night to watch the current generation of Knicks stars.
Jalen Brunson heard “MVP” chants as he scored 30 points in his return from a left calf contusion and Julius Randle scored 31 as the Knicks beat the Rockets, 109-94.
Brunson, who missed two games, had been listed as questionable, but went through a morning shootaround and pregame warmups and was ready to go.
The cherry on top of coach Tom Thibodeau’s 66th birthday cake was that Josh Hart — who was also questionable with a sore left knee — was the first Knick off the bench with 5:23 left in the first quarter.
“I can think of no better way to celebrate a birthday,” Thibodeau said, “than being around a bunch of people that care about the game and winning.”
Hart, who scored 10, led the Knicks with 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby scored 15 as the Knicks improved to 7-2 since they acquired the forward from Toronto. Deuce McBride, who had started in Brunson’s absence, added 11 points off the bench.
The Knicks, who improved to 24-17 at the midpoint of their 82-game schedule, host Washington on Thursday. So it will be interesting to see how Brunson and Hart bounce back for the back-to-back.
“I think the positive thing is the record is good, but we probably let four or five get away that we should have won,” Hart said. “So that’s encouraging and obviously the second half of the year is always a challenge . . . So I think at the end of the day, we’ve got to continue to build on what we’re doing and just trying to stay even.”
The Knicks split the two games that Brunson missed. They won at Memphis, 106-94, and on Monday blew a fourth-quarter lead in a 98-94 home loss to Orlando.
The Rockets are 19-21 under first-year (for them) coach Ime Udoka, the former Celtics coach. Houston, which was led by Fred VanVleet’s 24 points, was playing in the final game of a six-game road trip (five losses). The Rockets have lost eight in a row to the Knicks.
Brunson seemed to be moving without restriction on Wednesday as he played the first 8:22 of the game before taking a seat with six points on a pair of three-pointers.
Just before he departed, Brunson almost had two more points when he drove to the hoop for an acrobatic scoop shot that got the Garden crowd on its feet. Unfortunately, the ball rimmed out. But as a clue to how Brunson was feeling, it was a good sign for the Knicks.
Brunson, who said he felt ‘fantastic’ after the game, returned with 8:47 left in the first half and immediately hit a running floater for his first successful two-point attempt of the evening.
The halftime score was Knicks 48, Rockets 46.
In the third, the Knicks’ lead grew to a max of 12 points, but the Rockets hung around and trailed by eight (77-69) heading into the fourth. The Knicks finally blew it open in the final quarter, going up by as many as 17 with just over four minutes left.
Notes & quotes: Thibodeau opened his pregame news conference by honoring Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack the day before. “I just want to express our heartfelt condolences to Dejan Milojevic’s family and the Golden State [basketball team]. Tragic loss. He was a great ambassador to the game. So our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them.” . . . Thibodeau said center Mitchell Robinson, who underwent ankle surgery on Dec. 12 and may return this season, is “doing well overall,” although he declined to go into specifics. “He’s just following the [rehab] protocol at every step,” Thibodeau said.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
