Knicks lean on Brunson to convert down the stretch, beat Utah to start 5-game road trip.
Photo By: Alex Goodlett (Getty Images North America)
We've seen it time and time again. Jalen Brunson was a fantastic pickup for this Knicks squad. Yet another clutch 4th quarter performance from the 2022 free agent signee, as he propels the Knicks to an 118-111 win over the 10-6 Utah Jazz. So the Knicks start off their West Coast trip with a much-needed W.
So reports say that Julius Randle called a players-only meeting at a restaurant in Salt Lake City on Monday night to hold players accountable after a subpar start to the season. So now, after this win over the Jazz, New York sits at 7-7 with a few more tough games ahead. This is a step in the right direction though.
The Positive - The Rotation
EVAN FOURNIER DIDN'T LOG A SINGLE MINUTE. Jericho Sims played 25 amazing minutes! Quickley played 25 minutes along with igniting a huge spark in the 4th quarter that helped the Knicks steal the win. Then Derrick Rose also played a productive 14 minutes. Randle only played 31 minutes. Which I think is just around the perfect amount for him, although he had a team-worst -12 net rating tonight.
There are still complaints about the rotations though. Quentin Grimes also didn't step on the floor. This is very odd considering he was reported as untouchable in Donovan Mitchell trade talks. And Obi Toppin brought the energy all night long, yet only played 18 minutes. But we'll take what we can get.
Stat of the Night - 4Q Points
35 Points to close out a game is incredible for this Knicks team. A lot of it came from the guard play as well, which has lacked for the past few years. As I alluded to earlier, Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley carried the offense in the final quarter of play. And they outscored the Jazz by 9 in the quarter to finish it out. Brunson had 12 points in the 4th and then 8 for Quickley.
Notable Knicks Statlines
Brunson: 25pts/8ast/3stl
Reddish: 19pts
Barrett: 18pts/4ast/3reb
Sims: 11pts/13reb/8oreb
Quickley: 13pts/3reb/4stl
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