PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Brunson was having fun — well, if you know anything about the Knicks’ best player, he wasn’t having fun at all — two rares to start the first round of the playoffs. Breakout offensive game after a night of bad shooting.
Although the Knicks won twice in New York, Brunson’s 39 points were wasted in a Game 3 loss to the Sixers, despite the All-Star point guard shooting a combined 29.1 percent from the floor.
“The ball went in the hole. I was able to make a play not only for myself but for others as well. But although it was good, we ended up losing, so it doesn’t really matter. No,” Brunson said Saturday after practice at the Wells Fargo Center. “[It’s about] When we are together, we can read each other on offense and defense. And not only to be one step ahead in everything, but most importantly – to be united. ”
Brunson missed 39 of 55 shot attempts in the first two games of the series.
However, the Knicks won Game 1 mainly due to the big performances of Josh Hart, Miles McBride, and Mitchell Robinson, with a frenzied 8-0 run including 3-pointers by Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo with 27 seconds left. He showed a comeback. -To win the second game.
The 6-foot-2 Brunson has been primarily protected by taller opponents in Kelly Oubre Jr. (6-7) and Nicolas Batum (6-8) through three games.
He made nearly half of his overall shot attempts (13-of-27) in Game 3, including 3-of-7 3-pointers and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. was also included.
“I don’t want to sound too crazy, but he has the ball in his hands for 20 seconds of a 24-second shot clock,” Oubre said Saturday. “He passes the ball and gives it right back. He probably takes the most shots on the team.
“But at the end of the day, he’s well-used. He’s used to playing 48 minutes and scoring 40 points. That’s what he has to do. But my job is to just Stay in front of him, stay disciplined and don’t rely on his fakeness. …He’s very crafty and shoots the ball every time. We have to keep going after him. No need.”
Batum added: “With those guys, no matter what you do, they’re just going to get better and go to their spot. You just have to make them work, that’s all. No matter what you do, they shoot 25 shots. That’s what makes them good and what makes them what they are. All we have to do is make them work for our needs.”
