Jalen Brunson: Knicks 'Clearly Need to Be Better' Despite Injuries
The New York Knicks fell to the Golden State Warriors by a 110-99 final on Thursday and the team's active All-Star was far from pleased in the aftermath.
With injuries eating away at the primary rotation, the Knicks (35-25) have gone 3-8 in their past 11 without OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. After Thursday's loss to the Warriors, Jalen Brunson expressed his displeasure with the team's play, which saw them trail wire-to-wire against surging Golden State.
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"We clearly need to be better," Brunson said in the aftermath, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. "We can definitely learn from our past. We can be upset, (ticked) off for the rest of today, until we fall asleep."
"But tomorrow morning, we've got to be focused on the next one. Keep our spirits up, keep our confidence up. We all need to work hard individually to be confident. Just come in the next day, be ready to go, just keep trusting each other, just keep chipping away."
The Knicks are still in fourth place in the Eastern Conference but only 1.5 games up on Indiana and Miami to avoid the Play-In Tournament thanks to a brutal February.
Despite 27 points from Brunson, the Knicks were held below 100 points in consecutive games for the first time this season after they were severely shorthanded in Tuesday's loss to New Orleans. With Anunoby and Randle's returns still undated, Brunson's offensive prowess will be heavily relied upon as they seek to avoid the seventh spot.
A crucial test awaits Brunson and the Knicks in their next game as they face the second-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday evening (7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
