Jalen Brunson career-high spoiled as Knicks fall apart defensively in frustrating loss
The New York Knicks’ four-game winning streak came to an end Monday night in a heartbreaking 111-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jalen Brunson exploded for a career-high 44 points in what was an old-school defensive game, but it wasn’t enough to thwart the hot, late-game shooting of the Bucks.
Both teams got off to poor starts shooting the ball. Julius Randle, who has been playing the best basketball of his career recently, started the game 0-of-8 from the field before finally getting a putback layup to go. He would have possibly his worst shooting game of the season, shooting 9-of-29 from the field and 1-of-12 from behind the arc.
Brunson has been brilliant since returning from a hip injury and he wasted no time getting back in his bag last night. Brunson scored 18 of the Knicks’ 22 first quarter points, and down the stretch was near unguardable en route to 44 points and seven assists.
Jalen Brunson with his first regular season 40-burger ever pic.twitter.com/R6vDwGsc2O
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 10, 2023
Jalen Brunson’s career-high 44 points not enough to lead Knicks past Bucks
Unfortunately, this game ended how every Knicks/Bucks game has ended this season, with a crushing defeat at the hands of clutch shot-making. Last time it was Grayson Allen, this time it was Jrue Holiday. This time it was even worse because the Knicks controlled a majority of the first three quarters largely in part to their defensive effort which kept players like Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo in check. They seemed to be outworking the Bucks despite shooting so badly from the field.
It started to unravel late in the third quarter. The Knicks led by 16 points with about two minutes to go in the third. The Bucks would end the quarter on a 13-2 run to cut the lead down to five going into the fourth quarter, which is where several critical errors were made that would ultimately cost the Knicks the game.
First off, Tom Thibodeau started the fourth quarter with Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride, Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, and Mitchell Robinson. This lineup is simply not going to get it done on either side of the floor.
Quickley once again dazzled in the starting lineup scoring 23 points, but with Holiday guarding him, there was little opportunity to create easy offense. Not to mention Robinson struggled all night getting out to contest Brook Lopez’s three-point attempts, and Evan Fournier is well, Evan Fournier. If only there was a forward on the Knicks bench who just so happened to go to Duke who can create his own shot and defend well on the perimeter.
At this point, the Bucks were starting to catch fire, and little was done to try and cool them down. The fourth quarter, unlike the previous three quarters, became a shoot-out. The game plan all night was to minimize Antetokounmpo’s impact and control the boards. Once “the others” on the Bucks started to make shots, that same game plan became the Knicks’ undoing.
The Knicks gave up 38 points in the fourth because of their inability to recover defensively and contest the Bucks’ shooters. I mean on one particular play, Evan Fournier left Pat Connaughton completely wide open in the corner to help in the paint for absolutely no reason at all. Defense like that is not how you’re going to beat teams as good as the Bucks.
Last night’s loss joins a growing list of close disappointing losses, but like the others, the Knicks have to put it in the past. This game marked the halfway point of the season and with the Knicks in the playoff hunt, it’s imperative the Knicks snag every win they can, especially with winnable games coming up in the schedule. The Knicks will play next on Wednesday at home against the Indiana Pacers before going on the road to play Washington and Detroit.
