The New York Knicks have now secured their 7th consecutive victory in a hard-fought battle against the Washington Wizards, winning 136-132. The Knicks were coming off a back-to-back against the Magic with travel, and defensively they were a step slow all night long against an undermanned Wizards team. But that's the NBA; any team can get got on any given night. Fortunately for the Knicks, when it mattered the most, defensively they stepped up, only allowing 21 4th quarter points to Washington.
Jalen Brunson concluded the game with 55 points, 9 assists, and an impressive 16-17 from the free-throw line, despite not scoring in the second quarter. Watching Jalen Brunson play basketball is truly an art form, as he has completely transformed the Knicks' culture. Karl-Anthony Towns also delivered an outstanding performance with 30 points and 14 rebounds and also hit some timely buckets in the 4th that led the Knicks' comeback as well. The Knicks once again struggled with their three-point shooting but continue to find different ways to win games. They shot 25% from beyond the arc against the Wizards after a tough shooting night in Orlando. This Knicks team is demonstrating heart, fight, passion, and resilience.
On Saturday night, Jalen Brunson surpassed 40 points for the first time this season, marking the first occasion in NBA history where a team had four different players score 40+ points in a game before January 1st. That's truly remarkable if you think about it. The Knicks' starting five have been exceptional, even with OG Anunoby going through a shooting slump. This highlights the team's danger; they can manage Anunoby's offensive struggles due to the star power around him. We've also come a long way since Josh Hart had those "I'm lost" pre-season comments, haven't we? Josh Hart embodies exactly what his jersey says, "Hart." Every NBA team needs a Josh Hart, with his winning plays and attitude. Just love him.
Knicks' bench play continues to be worrisome:
In a back-to-back, you'd expect you'd need more energy from your bench to propel you to victory. During this game, you still didn't really get much offensively from your bench. The Knicks are still dead last in bench scoring. On one hand, it's a problem, but on the other hand, it just shows you how dominant this Knicks team's starting five are offensively. Landry Shamet has just gotten back in the fold, so maybe as time goes on, he can garner more playing time. Also, you have Mitchell Robinson on the way back, so maybe that will improve your bench. But right now, they heavily rely on their starters. Also, the starting group has been healthy for the majority of the season. You want it to stay that way. You don't want to continue to play them all of these minutes. Mikal Bridges still leads the NBA in MPG with 39.2 MPG.
Either way, after beginning the season with a 5-6 record, they now stand at 22-10 and hold a solid 3rd place position in the Eastern Conference. Knicks Nation should be really happy about where the New York Knicks are right now!
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