Jalen Brunson Called Players-Only Meeting Amidst Knicks' Rough Patch

The Knicks had their backs against the wall after suffering a fourth-straight loss. Jalen Brunson gathered his teammates in the locker room and made one thing clear: stop looking for someone else to solve their problems.

According to NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne on ESPN, Brunson called a players-only meeting following the Knicks' 114-97 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 19. The meeting lasted longer than usual, with multiple players speaking up about the team's struggles. Brunson's message cut straight to the heart of their issues:

"Jalen Brunson called a players only meeting. (He said), 'Guys we gotta stop looking to the coaching staff for answers, we gotta stop looking elsewhere. The answers to what is wrong with us right now are right in this locker room. We gotta look in the mirror,'" Shelburne said.

Are tensions rising for the New York Knicks? 🤔 @ramonashelburne gives us an inside look on what happened after their loss against the Mavericks 👀 pic.twitter.com/1MDEIk0pwG
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 20, 2026

That message came after a humiliating performance at Madison Square Garden. The loss dropped New York to 25-18 and marked their ninth defeat in 11 games. Fans made their displeasure known with loud boos as the Knicks trailed by 30 points in the second quarter. Max Christie torched them for 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from three-point range.

Head coach Mike Brown barely held back his frustration postgame. He nearly dropped an expletive when talking about what he told the team at halftime, but stopped himself just in time. Brown pointed out that Dallas had 27 fast-break points and 28 paint points by halftime against an injury-depleted Mavericks squad.

Brunson returned from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury, but couldn't stop the bleeding. He finished with 22 points on 24 shots while Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 18 rebounds. Both players acknowledged after the game that they understood the boos from frustrated fans.

Knicks Face Critical Nets Game

Nov 24, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell (4) goes to the basket as New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) defends during the second half at Barclays Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York entered New Year's Eve with a 23-9 record after winning the NBA Cup. Since then, they've gone 2-9, and their offense has fallen to the bottom five in the league for January. The freefall has put them just 1.5 games up on the seventh seed, putting them dangerously close to the play-in tournament.

The team will get a chance to end their losing streak tonight when they host the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET. New York has won 12 straight games against Brooklyn, including two blowout victories earlier this season. But given their recent form, nothing seems guaranteed for a squad that came into the season with championship expectations.

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