LOS ANGELES – Living without Jalen Brunson was as difficult as expected.
Especially during crunch time.
The Knicks were inactive due to a sprained ankle, and they scored just 10 points in the final seven minutes, overwhelming the stretch with a 105-95 Friday night loss to the Clippers.
The attacks stagnated, generating the lowest point total since January 6th.
The Knicks (40-23), who shot just 39% overall and 27% in the tray, fell 0-2 to start a five-game road trip at the Western Conference in games in Sacramento, Portland and Golden State.
Their current three-game losing streak is tied for the longest of the season.
Branson has been out for at least two weeks, but it's probably been longer as he was injured in a loss for the Lakers on Thursday.
He stayed with the Knicks in Los Angeles, but not on the bench at the Intuit Dome.
They obviously needed a point guard in uniform.
Almost all of his teammates struggled on Friday. Miles McBride, who replaced Branson in the starting lineup, managed just seven points in 13 shootings.
Karl Anthony Towns missed 13 of 22 shot attempts. Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were filmed 10-28.
Mikal Bridges committed a team high four turnover.
With the Clippers (34-29), James Harden and Kawi Leonard were inefficient, but were totaled at 47 points, which was enough to beat the team without Branson.
The Knicks, playing on their second consecutive night, slowed down after overtime events against the Lakers on Thursday.
They fell into the 9-0 hole from the tip-off and didn't score in the opening three and a half hours.
However, they quickly recovered and held a nine-point lead in the second quarter.
Their fourth quarter began with a one-point deficit.
Then they fell apart.
The Knicks were playing without Mitchell Robinson. Mitchell Robinson took a break in a second consecutive game to keep him healthy after missing ten months.
The precious Achiuwa has returned from his one-game absence due to hamstring pain.
This season was Branson's second game to miss, and it was his first since January 1st.
The Knicks went 1-4 without him last season.
Before the game, Thibodeau begged for effort without the captain.
“Everyone has to step up,” he said. “The thing is, you're not replacing Jalen individually. You're doing it all together. So what about? Everyone can do great defense. Everyone can rebound the ball well. Everyone can take care of the ball. So if you defend, you rebound and you're in the position to win, so that you keep lowering your turnover. And at the end of the game, things need to be realized. That's what we're trying to do. The margin of error is getting smaller.”
After all, it's too small for the Clippers.
