Big Nights For Brunson Against Suns And Denver
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
OG Torches Denver Scoring 40 In 29 Minutes
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The New York Knicks had to be feeling good about themselves before embarking on a 5-game road trip (the first four games on the west coast) as they won their last three home games before hitting the road. Last Wednesday night, they faced Pheonix knowing the Suns would be without their stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal who were out with injuries. The Knicks took care of business behind guard Jalen Brunson (36 points) and Karl Anthony Towns in the 138-122 win extending their winning streak to 4. In the end, the Knicks had 6 players score in double figures. Said head coach Tom Thibodeau of the shared scoring, “these guys are starting to get used to playing off each other. Each game you can see they’re seeing things. They’re reading the game extremely well. I think they’re creating good spacing.”
The good feelings were short lived when the Knicks looked to extend their winning streak to five games as they took on the Utah Jazz last Saturday night. The team came out flat, falling behind by 19 points in the third quarter. New York did rally going on a 17-0 run cutting the deficit to 2-points only to run out of gas in the 121-106 loss. Knicks OG Anunoby did his best connecting on 7-3 pointers finishing with 27 points. Brunson was the team’s second leading scorer with 23. New York’s 3-point shot was nonexistent as they missed on 14 of 16 attempts. Overall, they shot a paltry 39 per cent. Said Josh Hart afterwards, “we’ve been struggling on the defensive side for the whole season. When you’re not making shots and you’re not playing well defensively, that’s a recipe for disaster. We’ve got to figure it out on the defensive end.”
Lauri Markkanen scored 34 and Collin Sexton had 25 for the Jazz, who shot 55.9 percent (19-for-34) from long distance as their early season record went to 4-12.
The road trip took them to Denver Monday night to face the defending champion Nuggets and three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic. It was a night to remember for Anunoby as he scored 40 points in 29 minutes in the 145-118 rout of Denver. OG’s hot 3-point shooting continued as he connected on 5 of 7 attempts. A giddy Anunoby said after, “I haven’t seen any splits, but we’re a really good team, so, it was pretty cool. I’ve never been on a team like this before.”
It was also a record-breaking night for Brunson who not only contributed 23 points but finished with a career high 17 assists. The Knicks tied a franchise record with 45 assists. Brunson reflected on the accomplishment after. “For me it’s great to have that career high, but it’s a credit to [my teammates]. Everyone in this locker room works really hard. They put a lot into their game. I mean, literally, without them that wouldn’t be possible.” Towns finished with 30 points. Defensively, the Knicks kept Jokic in check as he only scored 22 points. Russell Westbrook led Denver with 27 points.
The last west coast game took place Wednesday night when New York traveled to Dallas (10-8) to face Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Friday, the Knicks continue the NBA Cup group stage when they visit the Charlotte Hornets.
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