The New York Knicks have a true superstar in point guard Jalen Brunson, but that doesn't mean every play needs to run through him. He's the ultimate "break glass in case of emergency" scorer, but the Knicks played Game 3 as though every possession he was on the court for would be lost if he wasn't playing on the ball.
As the Knicks look to hold on to their gained home-court advantage in Game 4, the first step must be to create a more balanced offensive attack that protects Brunson and gets other players involved.
Brunson certainly played well, dropping 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 11-of-25 shooting. OG Anunoby was right there with him, coming up with clutch buckets and keeping the Spurs on their heels with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
For as well as Anunoby played, however, he was often saving failed possessions or ending cold spells when no one else besides himself and Brunson could get going.
Though it's not necessarily Brunson's fault, one can't help but acknowledge that he attempted more shots than the Knicks' second and third leading players combined. He also committed five turnovers—2.4 more than his postseason average in 2026.
With the Spurs aspiring to overwhelm Brunson with questionable displays of brute force, the Knicks must get creative and incorporate other capable scorers and ball handlers—much as they have throughout the postseason.
Knicks need more than hero ball to beat the Spurs
Karl-Anthony Towns attempted 10 field goals and three free throws in 38 minutes during Game 3. Mikal Bridges attempted five shots and no free throws in 29 minutes. Neither of those performances can be replicated if the Knicks hope to win a championship.
Towns may be the more egregious of the two, as his defensive effort has been brilliant, but his pivotal offensive role was all but disregarded in Game 3.
Towns is too gifted of a scorer to be limited to 10 attempts while playing 38 minutes. Moreover, he's become too valuable with the ball in his hands to be all but cast aside. For perspective: Towns was averaging 5.6 assists per playoff game entering Game 3.
Unfortunately, despite recording four assists in both Game 1 and Game 2, he managed just one assist in Game 3—a fact that reflects how he effectively became a screener in an ISO-heavy Brunson offense.
Knicks need to get back to playing through Karl Anthony-Towns
That could go a long way toward explaining why Bridges struggled to get going, as he's benefited immensely from Towns' evolution as a playmaker. Thus far this postseason, Towns has assisted 15.5 percent of Bridges' field goals made. Only Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have been responsible for more.
Beyond the individual numbers, the harsh reality of the Knicks' ebbs and flows in Game 3 is that they could've sustained their quality for longer if they'd been less predictable.
To some degree, Brunson deserves credit for recognizing when others weren't at their best and taking over in key spots. The thin line between heroic basketball and full-on hero ball, however, is often toed by the coach who decides how their team will be playing.
If the Knicks have any hope of taking a commanding 3-1 series lead back to San Antonio, then they'll need to get back to running a more nuanced offense in Game 4.
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