Mike Brown calls Jordan Clarkson the best teammate he has coached as Knicks host Bulls

Mike Brown has started 3-4 with the New York Knicks, and one of the things he is happiest about is a veteran who often doesn't play. After Monday's 103-90 win over Brooklyn, Brown said Jordan Clarkson was the best teammate he has been around, the New York Post reported. He credited the guard for keeping his edge in a bench role that changes from night to night.

Brown's argument was that Clarkson has accepted a job most proven scorers would push back on. "That's the ultimate team player," Brown said after the game, in comments ClutchPoints picked up from his postgame press conference. The former Sixth Man of the Year has mostly played 10 to 15 minutes a night. Heavy noted that at 34, his minutes now depend on matchups and on Brown's feel for the game.

Those short stints have mattered. Against the Nets, Clarkson scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, and New York outscored Brooklyn by 17 while he was on the floor, according to ClutchPoints. Six days earlier in Chicago, he had a season-high 18 points in 17 minutes and finished plus-15 in a 133-127 win. Brown has turned to his reserves to steady a team that has been uneven early. That makes Clarkson's readiness useful even on nights when he barely plays.

The praise matters because the Knicks are still working out their rotation. Brown has shown he will move minutes around based on who is playing well, and Clarkson's attitude gives him an option he can trust on short notice.

What it means against Chicago

The Knicks lost their first three games: 106-100 at home to Philadelphia, 107-103 in Boston and 111-102 at home to Orlando. Since then they have won three of four. They beat Detroit 111-97, won in Chicago, lost 98-93 in Philadelphia and then beat Brooklyn. Their scoring is close to even across seven games, about 106.4 points per game against 105.1 allowed. That fits a team that has played a lot of close games.

Wednesday's home game is a rematch of the most open game of the Knicks' season. That 133-127 game in Chicago was also Clarkson's best night so far, so he could get another look in a matchup where his scoring helped.

The market doesn't see this game as close. Across the 12 venues on this site's board, New York is a heavy favorite. Novig has the Knicks at -525 to win outright and the Bulls at +506. On the spread, Novig has the Knicks favored by 11.5 at -108, with Chicago +11.5 at +104. FanDuel has the widest Bulls number, +12.5 at -108, so the venues are about a point apart on the margin. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 3.1% to 5.0%.

The total sits at 233.5 on Novig, with the over at -106 and the under at +102. The lowest number anywhere is BetRivers' 232.5, with the over at -134. The highest is theScore Bet's 234.5, with the under at -110. That's well below the 260 points the teams combined for last week. The market expects the Knicks to win comfortably and the game to be lower scoring than the last one.