Knicks' Towns says Rick Brunson stole Jalen's 'SVU' scene; Josh Hart still out at Cleveland

Jalen Brunson got his television detective role. According to Karl-Anthony Towns, his father got the better reviews.

The Knicks captain appeared for just under a minute in Thursday's episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," playing Detective Jay Madison opposite Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson. Rick Brunson, a Knicks assistant coach, had a silent walk-on at the start of the scene, entering the restaurant just before Hargitay. After practice Friday, Towns told the New York Post that the elder Brunson had upstaged his son. "That was an Emmy walk right there," Towns said. He also congratulated the point guard on getting to live out a dream.

The scene played on Brunson's real year. As Awful Announcing noted, Benson congratulates Madison on a "promotion," and he answers that he gave 110 percent, a wink at the Finals MVP who led New York to its first championship in 53 years last June. Brunson and Hargitay became friends during her years courtside at Madison Square Garden. The Big Lead counted the spot as his second prominent NBC appearance this fall, after he hosted the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" in September. Towns has his own screen credit, a cameo in "The Devil Wears Prada 2."

The Post also had basketball news from the same session. Josh Hart practiced Friday after sitting out Wednesday's win over Chicago with right ankle soreness, but he will miss Saturday's game in Cleveland as well. Mike Brown said the two days off after the Bulls game let him rest players and run practices aimed at things the team had not been doing well, practice time that gets scarce once the schedule settles into games every other day. Two more off days follow the Cavaliers game.

What it means for Saturday at Cleveland

The Knicks reach Cleveland at 4-4, which is better than it looked two weeks ago. They opened 1-3, with home losses to Philadelphia and Orlando and a four-point loss in Boston, then won four of their next five. The most recent two were the most convincing: a 103-90 win over Brooklyn and a 135-105 rout of the Bulls on Wednesday. Over eight games New York is averaging 110.0 points and allowing 105.1, and the defense has given up 98 or fewer in three of the last four.

Without Hart, Brown loses his top rebounding guard and some of the energy that has driven the recent run. The markets still lean toward New York. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, the Knicks are favored on the road at -194 on Novig, while DraftKings has the best Knicks price anywhere at -191. Cleveland is +186 on Novig. The spread is Knicks -4.5, at -113 on Novig and -110 at DraftKings, and BetRivers has the Cavaliers at +5.5 for -115. Novig's total is 222.5, and BetRivers has the best under price at 224.5 for -108. Most of the board agrees: the venues are close on the side and differ by about two points on the total, and sportsbook hold runs from 2.4% to 5.5% across the markets.

Tipoff is Saturday night on NBA TV and DAZN.