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Jalen Brunson took the blame for the Knicks' 0-3 start, then found another way to score against Detroit
Brunson is shooting 36.6% through four games and 4 of 20 from 3. He took the blame after the loss to Orlando, then got to the line 16 times in the first win.
After Sunday's loss to Orlando left the defending champions 0-3, Jalen Brunson did not blame the schedule, the ring-night hangover or his teammates. "Everything falls on my shoulders," he said of an offense that had gone flat, ESPN's Vincent Goodwill reported. He called it a matter of organization: making sure players were in the right spots, and being a better leader about it.
The numbers backed him up. The Knicks entered that game 29th in the league in offensive efficiency, according to ESPN, and then shot 9 of 38 from 3 against the Magic. Brunson scored 28 but needed 28 shots to do it and missed six of his seven 3-point tries.
Two nights later, in a 111-97 win over previously unbeaten Detroit, he still did not shoot well. He went 5 of 18 and missed all five of his 3s. But he finished with 23 points and seven assists by getting to the free throw line 16 times and making 13, and he kept attacking until Pistons defensive stopper Ausar Thompson fouled out in the fourth quarter, Goodwill wrote after the game.
Four games, one cold streak
Brunson, last season's Finals MVP, is averaging 22.8 points, which leads the team. The efficiency is what is missing:
| Game | Points | FG | 3PT | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Philadelphia, L 106-100 | 21 | 6-19 | 1-3 | 8-8 |
| at Boston, L 107-103 | 19 | 7-17 | 2-5 | 3-6 |
| vs. Orlando, L 111-102 | 28 | 12-28 | 1-7 | 3-6 |
| vs. Detroit, W 111-97 | 23 | 5-18 | 0-5 | 13-16 |
| Total | 91 | 30-82 (36.6%) | 4-20 (20%) | 27-36 |
In the opener he was 1 of 5 in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia pulled away, and coach Mike Brown said afterward that he would not have felt good about a win built on late shot-making, ESPN reported. After the Orlando loss, Brown agreed his team had looked a step slow and said the Knicks had to get the small things right until the shots started falling.
Where the help came from Tuesday
The rest of the starting lineup carried more of the load against Detroit. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds. Mikal Bridges, 0 for 10 from 3 over the first three games, made four of eight. Brunson did help turn the game in the third quarter, making his first three shots of the half as the Knicks opened with an 11-0 run, and New York outscored Detroit 37-13 in the period.
Brunson compared the approach afterward to hitting singles in baseball: get on base and do the little things until the rhythm comes. Brown said nothing was fixed yet.
The next chance comes tonight in Chicago, 8 p.m. Eastern, against a Bulls team that is 1-3 and has lost two in a row. The game page has the prices, and the rest of the season is on the Knicks schedule.