Death, taxes, and long, physical defenders guarding Jalen Brunson.
It’s the blueprint opponents have embraced to slow down the Knicks’ star guard — whose singular scoring powered a battered New York roster to 50 wins and the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed last season.
And to a degree, it’s worked. Losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks showed that shutting down the head of the Knicks’ offensive snake is a proven formula for victory.
“He’s gonna see that,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “You’ve gotta be smart.”
The New Orleans Pelicans tried to follow suit. It backfired spectacularly.
Brunson started slowly in Saturday’s matchup, held in check early by All-Defensive First Team forward Herb Jones and dynamic combo guard Dejounte Murray. But then the Knicks’ All-Star erupted for a season-high 39 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field, fueling a 104-93 comeback win at the Smoothie King Center — New York’s 13th victory in its last 17 games.
“A fire got lit, and I found a way to make a couple of shots and turn some defense into some good offense,” Brunson said in his walk-off interview. “And from there on, obviously, we found a way.”
Brunson’s explosion was a masterclass in resilience.
He scored just six points in the first quarter and four more in the second before lighting up New Orleans for 29 in the second half.
“In our second quarter we struggled, and then we were searching,” Thibodeau said. “And then Jalen obviously, the shot making and lifting everyone up. We were struggling and then just found a way to win.”
Sixteen of those points came in the third quarter alone, where Brunson drained four three-pointers to help erase a 14-point deficit.
Brunson acknowledged he’s seeing a shift in how defenses are guarding him this season.
“A little bit. It’s different every night,” he said. “I’ve gotta stay focused, knowing that it’s not always the same, so I can’t get frustrated thinking it’s gonna be the same or be easy. I’ve gotta get my teammates involved and stay aggressive.”
The performance marked Brunson’s 62nd 30-point game since joining the Knicks two summers ago. He now ranks seventh in franchise history in that category, just five shy of Willis Reed, with Patrick Ewing (203) and Carmelo Anthony (108) topping the list.
At this rate, Brunson may surpass Melo by next season.
Even against defenses determined to frustrate him, Brunson continues to find ways to dominate. Against the Pelicans, he targeted mismatches, ramping up his aggression when matched against defenders not named Jones or Murray. His 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc was another dagger — he entered the game shooting a career-high 43.1% from three-point range.
“You’ve gotta read the game, and once I saw one go in, I had another good look, and I knew it was time to go,” Brunson said. “We got the lead, and from that point on, we played well with the lead.”
Brunson’s heroics were desperately needed. The Knicks struggled after Karl-Anthony Towns got into early foul trouble. Towns had two fouls in the first quarter and logged just 42 seconds in the second period. He finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, an uncharacteristic low-scoring game in a season he’s erupted in scoring in New York.
“That was a challenge. The foul trouble with KAT sort of knocked us out of rhythm, and then we were sloppy with the ball,” Thibodeau said. “That was a problem, but then I thought Mikal [Bridges] got going, and he and OG [Anunoby] defensively in the third [quarter] were terrific.
“The big thing is KAT’s fouls. I wanna take a look at them. I think some of them we can fix with discipline. And so that took us out of our rhythm. We’ve just gotta be better with that.”
New York struggled out of the gate against the Western Conference’s worst team, tied at 28 entering the second quarter.
The Pelicans, missing Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, built a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter before Brunson flipped the switch. The Knicks outscored New Orleans 33-26 in the third period, then held the Pelicans to just 18 points in the final frame.
The Knicks, who scored just 45 points in the first half, poured in 59 over the final two quarters — nearly half coming from Brunson alone.
Josh Hart returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game in Minnesota for personal reasons and delivered a versatile stat line: 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.
Bridges added 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, and all five Knicks starters scored in double figures — a necessity given the bench managed just six total points. Still, Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa contributed on the glass, combining for 15 rebounds off the bench.
“When Jericho was in there, his defense had a big impact on the game,” Thibodeau said.
The Knicks (18-10) now return to Madison Square Garden, where they’ll host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday before welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day.
“There’s always still room for improvement, but I think we’re in a good space,” Brunson said. “We’re finding ways to win… and most importantly, we’re sticking together.”
Originally Published:
