With the Playoffs approaching fast, the Knicks find themselves in a position of comfort which was not anticipated at the beginning of the season. Being in the 4th spot of the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are at a stage where they must prove their credibility as title challengers.
But that has been far from the case with the NY-based team coming into the Sixers game with a 2-3 record in the last 5 games. Now the record is 2-4 but the latest string of lows in their performance is the scoreline that not even neutrals can approve of, and Jalen Brunson had some light to shed on this.
Jalen Brunson shoulders blame for 76ers loss
Jalen Brunson has yet again taken the blame on himself for a low-scoring 79-73 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers at their home court, Madison Square Garden.
Describing his performance Brunson said, “I played like dog s–t.” The New York Knicks are already having a hard time with the injuries of key players like Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson and now to cause further disarray, the offense is in shambles.
The Knicks guard continued telling the reporters, “I’ve got to be better, as a player, as a leader, to make sure we’re all ready to go, and we weren’t tonight.” The performance from both teams was unimpressive and the scoreboard was the lowest since 2016 where both the teams scored less than 80 points.
Agreeing with Brunson’s assessment, teammate Josh Hart, who scored 9 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists, called their performance “s–t” and said, “We didn’t shoot the ball well, turnovers were bad. I had six or seven myself.”
The Sixers also played without their star player and reigning MVP Joel Embiid who underwent a knee surgery and Tyrese Maxey who did not clear NBA’s concussion protocol. With the regular season coming to an end, the Sixers have maintained their 6th position on the Eastern Conference table with one less win than the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson’s performance in Knicks vs 76ers game
After putting up a good defensive display against the Orlando Magic leading to a 98-74 victory, the Knicks fell apart when they recently faced off with the Sixers. Jalen Brunson had a mediocre performance and has acknowledged the same.
The NBA All-Star contributed 19 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists shooting 6-for-22 overall and 1-for-9 from the 3-point range. Both the teams recorded lower outcomes, with the Sixers shooting at 38.8% from the field compared to the Knicks’ 32.5% while from the 3-point range Philadelphia recorded 30% whereas the Knicks shot at 22.5%.
The 27-year-old has averaged 27.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists playing in 59 games this season while shooting at 47.4% from the field and 40% from the 3-point range.
After the Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, “I thought our defense was good, I thought the rebounding was good enough. They made a couple shots late in the 3rd, start of the 4th. But we fought, got back, had a chance at the end. We had a couple turnovers that hurt us there. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
He acknowledged that the Knicks have been successful in exhibiting their defensive ability but have lacked in the offensive zone.
The New York franchise and Jalen Brunson will get another opportunity to turn the results in their favor in the next game against the Sixers at their home court on Wednesday, March 13.
