'Win Together, Lose Together': Jalen Brunson Thrives as New York Knicks' Top Communicator
Death, taxes, Jalen Brunson playing his heart out for the New York Knicks.
The lattermost entry has been particularly certain at Madison Square Garden over the past year-plus, where Brunson has made a wider name for himself after four years with the Dallas Mavericks.
Thursday night was just the latest example: facing a Detroit Pistons squad that entered as losers of each of their past 16, a Knicks home victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion, especially riding the momentum of a Tuesday win over Charlotte that clinched a spot in the In-Season Tournament's knockout round.
It might have appeared that way, and it did at first, especially after Brunson scored 16 en route to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter. But Detroit, buoyed by a shooting effort that saw them hit over 53 percent from the floor, made sure late-game heroics were required.
Brunson scored 42 points in Thursday's win
Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS
Brunson made sure his team realized the stakes throughout the final period of play, which ended with the Knicks on top 118-112.
"Any team can beat anybody on any given night," Brunson said, per video from the Knicks. "We just kept fighting. They [were] going to keep playing hard no matter what. For us, we [had] to ... stick together and go through adversity."
"I'd rather learn from winning than learn from losing. A win is a win," he continued. "We know what we've got to do to be better, but most importantly, we've just got to stick together and continue to be a team. Win together, lose together."
So, what did that look like on Thursday?
It began with some classic Villanova collaboration: when Pistons front man Cade Cunningham made a layup to cut New York's lead to just three points just past the midway mark, the Knicks responded with a Donte DiVincenzo three-pointer, courtesy of Brunson's assist. Killian Hayes answered right back with a three of his own, but DiVincenzo responded again with another deep make. Brunson once again had the assist.
The consecutive threes more or less permanently shifted momentum and eventually got to the point where Detroit had to foul to stay in the game. Brunson, a 90-percent free throw shooter, hit 5-of-6 over the last 3:37 to seal the deal.
"[Detroit] fought us to the brink," Brunson said. "We just made a couple of plays in the end. That gave us a comfortable lead to win the game."
What started with Brunson, however, became a team effort. Even though the guard scored 42, it came down to the Knicks performing as a unit and collective. Brunson was quick to share the credit with his fellow Knicks.
"They give me confidence. The coaching staff gives me confidence," Brunson said. "My teammates have confidence in themselves as well. We all share in [that]. We're just trying to win games."
Head coach Tom Thibodeau concurred.
"You have to win as a team," Thibodeau said, per video from the Knicks. "If we're doing the right things and we win, everyone gets recognized. That's where everyone's value goes up. If you're getting points and we're not winning, there's no value in that."
Leadership isn't always easy to find in a star player, especially when it involves being a top performer on the court and a great teammate off of it. Brunson has displayed his ability to do both, though no trait has been as important and crucial as communication.
The 27-year-old has undoubtedly been a consistent bright spot for the Knicks in each of the last two seasons, continuing to fill the long-suffering void at point guard on both sides of the ball. He shows up when asked and has asked the same of his teammates, which Thibodeau has noticed.
"He's been terrific," the coach said. "He's been a great leader."
"You may think you're going as hard as you can, but when you look at it the next day, you see that you weren't," Thibodeau said. "Oftentimes, it comes down to eliminating mental errors. You do that by communicating with each other. When we're at our best, we have five guys constantly talking."
Brunson and the Knicks (11-7) return to action on Friday night on the road against the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
