Knicks Weekly: Jalen Brunson Absence Continues

The New York Knicks' Western swing carries on without Jalen Brunson.

Geoff Magliocchetti | Mar 9, 2025

Jan 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) secures the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

It was an eventful week for the New York Knicks in some of the worst ways ...

Where the Knicks Stand

Team	Wins	Losses	Games Back
1. Cleveland	53	10
2. Boston	46	18	7.5
3. KNICKS	40	23	13
4. Milwaukee	36	26	16.5
5. Indiana	35	27	17.5
6. Detroit	35	29	18.5

A brutal trip out west—and some heartbreaking news on the medical front—probably ended any hope the Knicks had of stealing a top two spot: they're now over five games behind Boston for the runner-up spot and no one reading this needs to be reminded that the defending champion Celtics have the tiebreaker.

Dots on the rearview mirror are also starting to magnify: the Knicks were only three games up on Milwaukee for third place but gain just a bit of breathing room when the Bucks fell to the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

The Knicks are still on pace to face the Detroit Pistons in the opening round, as the latter still holds sixth slot with a healthy space between the Motor City and the Play-In Tournament.

Last Week: 1-3

It's so easy to forget that last week began with one of the most stirring triumphs of the season, one that saw the Knicks erase a 19-point deficit in South Beach en route to a 116-112 overtime win over the Miami Heat.

That win, however, stands as the Knicks' most recent: they lost a healthy advantage against Golden State on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden sans Karl-Anthony Towns (out due to personal reasons) and then dropped both halves of a Los Angeles doubleheader featuring the Lakers and Clippers.

While the Knicks get a chance to avenge the 105-95 defeat the Clippers bestowed later this month at MSG, they dropped the annual couple against the purple-and-gold for the first time since 2019-20. The loss to the Lakers also provided further fodder for those insulting the Knicks' tournament resume, as New York is now 0-9 against the NBA's top four squads by record (which, of course, also includes Cleveland, Boston, and Oklahoma City).

The active three-game losing streak is the Knicks' first since Jan. 3-6.

Mar 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles the basketball as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) defends during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Player of the Week: Jalen Brunson

31.1 points, 50.7 field goal percentage, 7.7 assists

For better and much, much worse, the NBA is about to get a Brunson MVP showcase.

Anything the Knicks accomplish and fail over (at least) the next two weeks will be subtitled with knowledge of Brunson's departure after he rolled his ankle in the wee hours of Friday morning against the Lakers. Life after Brunson got off to a dreary start on Friday night: the Knicks kept things respectable against the Clippers in their maiden voyage to Intuit Dome but noticeably lacked any for top of clutch offensive option.

If the Knicks will truly be without Brunson, he at least provided some solid parting gifts: between points and assists, Brunson played a role in 19 of the final 26 New York points on Sunday night in Miami and put forth a 39-point, 10-assist double-double against the Lakers. After enduring the injury, Brunson stayed in the game to sink a pair of free throws before fleeing for the Knicks' locker room. Before that, he had scored eight of the Knicks' 10 overtime tallies.

Honorable Mentions

Karl-Anthony Towns: 18.0 points, 13.3 rebounds
OG Anunoby: 20.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 37.8 three-point field goal percentage
Josh Hart: 11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds

They Said It

“Everyone has to step up. The thing is, you’re not replacing Jalen individually. You’re doing that collectively. So how? Everyone’s capable of playing great defense. Everyone’s capable of rebounding the ball well. Everyone’s capable of taking care of the ball. So if you defend, you rebound and you keep your turnovers down, you’re going to be in position to win and then you have to make things happen at the end of the game. That’s what we’re striving for. The margin of error is smaller. We have to play with great intensity on every possession.” -Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on who steps up with Jalen Brunson hurt (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)

This Week

Monday: @ Sacramento

(10:30 p.m. ET, MSG)

Brunson's injury denies the viewing public a surprise showdown with De'Aaron Fox but Towns' tussle with Domantas Sabonis should worth sacrificing sleep as those two enter this as the Association's leading rebounders. The Kings (33-29) continues to "light the beam" under brief Knick Doug Christie, posting a 20-11 record since he took over for Mike Brown. One of those losses, however, was a 143-120 beatdown at MSG in January, one that saw Josh Hart put up a 20-point, 18-rebound, 11-assist triple-double while OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges united for 60 points.

Mar 20, 2011; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks guard Chauncey Billups (4) drives with the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bucks defeated the Knicks 100-95. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Wednesday: @ Portland

(10 p.m. ET, MSG)

Chancey Billups, another brief Knick, has finally gained some form of momentum at the Pacific Northwest helm, as the Trail Blazers are 15-8 since Jan. 18. They're at the cusp of postseason contention, entering this week four games behind reeling Dallas for the fourth and final Western Conference Play-In spot. The Knicks' annual couple with Portland (28-36) will be settled this month, as they're due to see them at MSG on March 30.

Mar 4, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) looks to shoot the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and guards Brandin Podziemski (2) and Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Saturday: @ Golden State

(8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Despite the loss of Brunson's starpower, this interconference tilt and road trip conclusion will likely be one of the most anticipated showings on this week's NBA docket: the Knicks are not only seething over last week's heartbreaker at MSG but also over Draymond Green's baseless accusation that Towns skipped Tuesday's tussle to avoid seeing Jimmy Butler. Towns, back after a bereavement leave, is set to partake in this sequel and will no doubt have an extra pep in his step. Though unable to generate much space away from Play-In purgatory (a half-game ahead of seventh-place Minnesota), the Warriors (36-28) have kept on rolling, as Tuesday's win over the Knicks is part of an active four-game winning streak.

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Published Mar 9, 2025

GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks