Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks woke up in time to stay alive in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Brunson credited a Knicks fan for fueling him to rally the Knicks to their largest comeback win of the season with a 100-98 stunner over rival Miami Heat on Friday, November 24.
“We just stuck together. Honestly, a fan looked at me in my eye over here and said ‘This is embarrassing.’ So I’ll say him,” Brunson told ESPN’s Filipino-American sideline reporter Cassidy Hubarth when asked what fueled their largest comeback win of the season.
Brunson scored eight of his game-high 24 points in the final 2:56 to complete the Knicks comeback from a 21-point second-half deficit.
The Heat scored the first 19 points in the third quarter. But the Knicks held them to only 11 in the fourth quarter. A 13-2 closing run anchored by Brunson cooled the Heat.
Jimmy Butler missed a potential game-winner over RJ Barrett at the buzzer.
Knicks 13-2 4th Quarter Run vs Heat UNCUT
Just incase you wanted to rewatch this masterclass.
“I definitely thought that was going in … I am always going to go for the win,” Butler told reporters in the locker room. “We’re going to live with the result, but I guarantee I am making the next one.”
The win pushed the Knicks’ record to 9-6 overall, and 2-1 in the Eastern Conference’s Group B of the In-Season Tournament. A loss would have eliminated them from contention.
Brunson shot 10-of-16 from the field. He added three rebounds and three assists. Butler led the Heat with 23 points, three assists and two rebounds.
It was their first encounter since Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. The wild ending added another colorful chapter to their rivalry.
‘Best Bench in the League’
The big credit rightfully belongs to Brunson and the “embarrassed” Knicks fan for the dramatic comeback. But Immanuel Quickley and the rest of the Knicks’ second unit also had a big hand.
Quickley fired 20 points off the bench, hitting two key 3-pointers in each of the last two quarters.
“The bench including [Quickley], they they’re fantastic,” Brunson told Hubarth. “They’re the best bench in the league, in my opinion. What they do night in and night out, is nothing short of spectacular. They are the reason we won this game. Without their run, without their spark, we don’t win the game.
The Knicks bench outscored their Heat counterpart, 37-24, including 22-9 in the second half.
Josh Hart also played huge off the bench with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
James Dolan Steps Away From NBA
Knicks owner James Dolan has stepped away from the NBA after resigning from his positions in the league’s board of governor’s committees.
In his place is Knicks general counsel Jamaal Lesan, a black Brooklyn native who has started representing him in the NBA Board of Governors meetings.
Dolan’s resignation, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, came after his critical views on several league issues and before the Knicks launched a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors in August, alleging them of “trade secret theft.”
“My hope is that the Knicks will be treated equally and fairly as all other NBA teams,” Dolan said in the memo obtained by ESPN. “… As you know, I am very busy with all my duties at MSG family of companies. I need to apply my time where I can be most productive.”
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‘Embarrassed’ Fan Fuels Knicks’ 21-Point Comeback Win Over Heat