Getty Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
On March 29, the New York Knicks added another impressive victory to their season tally, overcoming the Cleveland Cavaliers courtesy of a 48-point performance from Jalen Brunson.
When speaking to the media after the game, Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell was vocal about Brunson’s impact and credited his ability to both score at will and create opportunities for his teammates.
“I mean, I’ve seen this for the year. I saw the same thing last year,” Mitchell said. “He’s just shifty; he can get to his spots in different ways. The biggest thing is he had 50, but he had nine assists; at the end of the day, that’s the standout. You know, 50 is, is great, and that’s a lot of work to put in, but being able to get everybody else involved, I think that’s what I took away the most. From that, now he’s not accountable just for 50 points, but at minimum 18 other points. So, that’s the tough part, that we just that I look at it, I’m like, alright, we can fix that.”
Mitchell came away from the contest with 42 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists on 69.6% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from three-point range.
Tom Thibodeau Issues Statement on Jalen Brunson
While Mitchell might have been impressed with Brunson’s performance, for head coach Tom Thibodeau, it’s nothing less than what he’s come to expect from the Knicks’ star point guard.
“He’s averaged, I think 24 points a game,” Thibodeau said. “And so he’s had big scoring nights. He’s had a player of the month in the NBA. So he’s had stretches where he’s done everything. So we know that that’s part of, I think, right now everyone’s got a good rhythm because they got a good feel for each other. So they’re playing to each other’s strengths. They’re covering up weaknesses; they’re playing smart; they’re playing tough.”
With their latest win, the Knicks have kept their 2.5-game gap between themselves and the Brooklyn Nets while also gaining ground on the Cavaliers, who sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.
RJ Barrett Speaks on Argument With Obi Topping
During New York’s win over Cleveland, RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin got into an altercation with each other, forcing the Knicks coaching staff to separate the pair before the disagreement escalated further.
When speaking to the media during his post-game press conference, RJ Barrett downplayed the argument, stating it was more like a brotherly disagreement than the start of a serious feud.
Here’s Tom Thibodeau separating Obi Toppin & RJ Barrett during the timeout argument
“We’re good. We see each other basically every day,” Barrett said. “You tell me that you haven’t had an argument with a family member before. You know what I’m saying? You had an argument with a family member before. That was all it was. Right after the timeout, we squashed it. I think he scored six straight points after that, so something worked.”