Three takeaways from Knicks' five-game West Coast trip
guard Jalen Brunson writhes in pain after getting injured during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
SAN FRANCISCO — The Knicks flew home Sunday morning after a five-game, 12-day West Coast trip that honestly felt like an entire season wrapped up in an exhausting two-week package.
They lost Jalen Brunson to a sprained ankle and endured two weeks of Draymond Green trolling, two overtime games, a he said-he said exchange between Tom Thibodeau and Mikal Bridges, and a heated in-the-huddle exchange between Thibodeau and Josh Hart. So trudging to the plane, they certainly were relieved to head home.
1. Tough with Brunson out
The Knicks matched a season-low output with 94 points Saturday at Golden State, no surprise as they attempt to adjust to life without their best offensive weapon. The Knicks have had different players step up — Bridges in Portland with 33 points and the game-winner at the buzzer in overtime, Karl-Anthony Towns with 29 points in Saturday’s loss, OG Anunoby with a steady rise. But still, it’s clear that something is missing.
“Struggling a little bit without ‘11,’ ” Hart said. “Have to do a better job of organization, playing to each other’s strengths. Obviously our first time without him this year and maybe last year. We knew the flow of the game was going to be different. We’ve got to do a better job of organization and playmaking.”
2. Defense on rise
Over the last four games, the Knicks’ defense has been third-best in the NBA, allowing 106.6 points per 100 possessions — as opposed to 14th on the season at 113.6.
It’s not as simple as Hart’s joke, “JB’s not out there.” Part of it is necessity. Without Brunson, the Knicks aren’t about to outscore opponents in a high-scoring affair. But it’s also a familiar pattern for the Knicks. Bridges has noted that the defense has been improving steadily this season. It’s something that happens with Thibodeau-coached teams nearly every season.
“Just communication and growth with all of us and trusting each other defensively, trusting the next guy stepping up,” Bridges said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to keep growing each game, each day, and learning for it.”
3. Frustrations showing?
As the Knicks endured some odd exchanges during this trip, it’s worth remembering, as with all of these issues, that the team captain wasn’t with the team after the first stop on this trip.
Does the Bridges-Thibodeau back-and-forth happen if Brunson is in the locker room? Does frustration boil over in the huddle if Brunson is on the floor?
(For what it’s worth, some Knicks sources said it may not be caught on camera, but Hart and Thibodeau, who are as tight as a player and coach can be, often scream at each other.)
And on another related note, even without Brunson, should someone have stepped in as Green was trolling Towns on Saturday night? No one stepped in to get Green away (Anunoby did arrive and clapped repeatedly near the two). No one delivered a hard foul in response.
And it’s worth wondering, if he wasn’t coming into the game right there, why P.J. Tucker is on the bench for right now. And when the game was over, as Towns headed to the locker room, Bridges and Tucker were hugging Green.
Remember when Joel Embiid pulled Mitchell Robinson to the floor in last year’s playoffs? Remember that Donte DiVincenzo, giving away nearly a foot and nearly 100 pounds, stepped into Embiid’s face to defend his teammate.
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.
