'It Takes All of Us!' Knicks' Jalen Brunson Eyes More Consistent Defense

Jalen Brunson put up a historic point tally for the New York Knicks on Christmas Day but stressed the importance of keeping up their defensive consistency.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 25, 2023

'It Takes All of Us!' Knicks' Jalen Brunson Eyes More Consistent Defense /

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are celebrating after a 129-122 win on Christmas Day against the Milwaukee Bucks. Monday's win marked the first victory for the Knicks (17-12) against the Bucks in four tries this season and their first against a conference leader this season.

"It took a lot of effort," Jalen Brunson said in his postgame interview with ESPN's Andraya Carter. "(I'm) just happy with the way we played today... They're a hell of a team, just happy we walked away with a win."

While Brunson dazzled on offense with a game-high 38-point performance, it was New York's ability to contain Milwaukee on the defensive end that captured the victory. After allowing the Bucks to shoot over 50 percent from the field and beyond the 3-point line in Saturday's loss, Milwaukee (22-8) was limited to just 31 percent from distance in Monday's win.

"We've got to stay defensively consistent, making sure we got each other's back," Brunson said. "We can't rely on one guy to stop one guy. It takes all of us."

Knicks Buck the Trend, Finally Master Milwaukee on Christmas Day

Coming into Christmas Day, the Knicks ranked 14th in defensive rating with a mark of 114.2. Ironically enough, it's an identical rating to what the team boasted a year ago, when it ranked 19th in the league. If the Knicks want to become a true contender in the East, this is the biggest area of improvement. The job is harder without Mitchell Robinson protecting the paint, but as Brunson said, it's a team effort.

The Knicks are back in action on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. ET, MSG).

Published Dec 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.