Home Sweep Home! Brunson, Knicks Humble Hornets in OT
The New York Knicks' decision to bestow breakout postseason star Jalen Brunson a nine-figure contract was questioned by some.
Four games into his metropolitan career, Brunson and the Knicks are providing all the answers.
Brunson fell three rebounds short of a triple-double on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, tallying 27 points and 13 assists, the former output coming on 10-of-15 shooting. The $104 million man was involved in eight of the Knicks' dozen points in an extra session, including the three-pointer that permanently put the scoreboard on New York's side in a 134-131 victory.
The Knicks (3-1) have now won three in a row, sweeping an early homestand that also included wins over Detroit and Orlando. It's the first time they're multiple games over .500 since last November. They also prevailed in their first three MSG games for the first time since the start of the 2011-12 season.
New York once again held a mostly consistent lead throughout the contest but was done in by a season-worst 16 turnovers. A 10-point lead earned through Isaiah Hartenstein's early basket vanished just past the four-minute mark after a Mason Plumlee dunk, capping off Charlotte's 24-13 run. That lead ballooned to as high as five with just over two minutes to go, but a successful RJ Barrett free throw trip and a Brunson triple equalized the affair at 120-apiece. Dennis Smith Jr. then countered a would-be Julius Randle winner, forcing the overtime period and setting up Brunson's heroics.
The Knicks are already 1-1 in overtime games this year, having previously dropped their opening night in extra minutes to Memphis. In that showdown, Brunson shot 0-of-4 from the field but scored half of the Knicks' overtime points and also assisted on a Mitchell Robinson dunk.
Four Knicks starters, including Brunson, Barrett (21), Randle (17), and Evan Fournier (14) reached double-figures, as did Derrick Rose, who earned 12 points in a matching 12 minutes. Immanuel Quickley also had 11 while the Hornets (2-2) were paced by 21 from Gordon Hayward.
The Knicks resume road duties on Friday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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