The New York Knicks saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night against a Cavaliers team that had been foundering coming off a blowout loss to the Hornets on Monday. The Cavs got 32 points from James Harden, but forced the issue with the Knicks all night, shooting 47.1% from the field and taking 25 free throws to just 11 for the Knicks en route to the 115-107 win. Part of that was that New York was not aggressive enough, but it also raised a big question–a Jalen Brunson question–for Knicks coach Mike Brown.
Brunson went to the free throw line zero times, the first time that’s happened since last February. Brown was not entirely blaming the cautious refs for the loss, but he raised the issue clearly.
Knicks’ Mike Brown Questions Lack of Calls
In his postgame meeting with Knicks media, Brown called out the unfriendly “whistles” the Knicks got in this game.
His full quote: “We lost it in every category. They had 14 more free throws than us, four more offensive rebounds than us, and two less turnovers than us. When that happens vs. a good team, it is going to be hard to win a game. I give them a lot of credit, but part of it, I am little surprised, Jalen played almost 35 minutes, he had zero free throw attempts. That’s pretty alarming. You know, I’m not sure how or why it was that way. At one time, the free-throw advantage was 18-3. That’s not why we lost the game but you just hope you get a little bit better whistle when you’re playing a good team like that.”
Jalen Brunson: ‘I Can’t Be Hesitant’
In the Knicks locker room, Brunson, who finished with 27 points on 12-for-23 shooting, brushed off questions about the refs, saying he, “can control what I can control.”
But he lamented his lack of aggressiveness in the game, despite the 23 shot attempts.
Said the Knicks star: “It is probably something I have to go back to watch. I will just say, from how we started the game, to how we finished it, just from my end, I can’t be hesitant, I can’t be a little stagnant at times. It puts my team at a disadvantage. I just got to be a little more aggressive with my mistakes if I’m making any. So I have to have a little more aggression.
“It was just the way they were playing, I had to read them and it took me a second. Have to give them a lot of credit. It is something I will be a little more prepared for, I just didn’t adjust in-game as fast as I wanted to. I was still able to make plays but not enough to win.”
Knicks’ Mike Brown Calls Out Refs on ‘Alarming’ Jalen Brunson Stat