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Two York! Knicks' Brunson, Randle Earn Player of the Week Noms

Though the New York Knicks' representatives fell short of the honor, this week's Eastern Conference Player of the Week proceedings had an intriguing metropolitan flair.

The New York Knicks' seven has been officially commemorated by the NBA, as both Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle were nominated for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award.

While both Knicks missed out on the award itself ... Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell took home the honor ... their respective nominations serve as official recognition from the Association of New York's steady rise to the East's top six. The Knicks (17-13) currently hold the final automatic spot in the premature conference playoff picture thanks to an active seven-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA after Sunday's action.

Brunson and Randle, each playing on the first year of nine-figure contracts bestowed by Knicks management, have lived up to $100 million-plus billing and their impact has been noticeable and then some in this lucrative stretch. Already serving as the team's top two scorers, the two went into overdrive as the Knicks embarked upon a road trip that went through two Chicago and a Sunday evening capper in Indiana.

For Brunson, it's seen by some as a minor miracle that he was even able to take the floor for last week's games: the point guard had to leave the prior Sunday's game against Sacramento with an apparent ankle injury and was more or less a game-time decision for the first half of the doubleheader in Chicago on Wednesday. Brunson responded with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting in the 128-120 overtime victory, the last of that haul coming on a sealing three-pointer that sent defender Alex Caruso tumbling to the hardwood. 

The former Dallas Maverick also reached 30 points in Sunday's 109-106 win over the Indiana Pacers, two nights after he had 22 more in part two of the Chicago pair. In addition to his scoring, Brunson also averaged 5.3 assists and two steals in the three games.

Randle, the Knicks' overall leading scorer, averaged a double-double in the last three games with 25-point and 13-rebound averages. He fell just three assists short of a triple-double in the Wednesday win, coupling those seven with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Randle also had three steals in the latter victory over the Bulls, his best output since Nov. 25's loss to Portland.

In the wake of Mitchell's victory, earned through a 32-point average in the Cavaliers' four games last week, the New York City metropolitan area was well-represented in the weekly honors. With Brunson and Randle repping Manhattan, the Brooklyn Nets were likewise showcased with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving also earning de facto honorable mentions. Brooklyn would've had the NBA's longest winning streak if not for the Knicks, having earned a win in each of its last six. 

Floridian opponents Paolo Banchero (Orlando) and Tyler Herro (Miami) rounded out the list of Eastern nominees while Denver's Nikola Jokić earned the nod in the West.

Brunson, Randle, and the Knicks will look to continue their winning ways on Tuesday night when New York opens a four-game holiday homestand against the defending champion Golden State Warriors (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). 


Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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