The Knicks scored just 73 points against the Sixers, who won by a final score of 79-73. The total of 152 points between the two teams constitutes the lowest scoring game in the NBA since January 2016.
“I played like shit,” Brunson said. “That’s it.”
Brunson is one of the best players in the NBA. However, he had a standout game against the Sixers, shooting just 6 of 22 from the field and 1 of 9 from beyond the arc. Brunson finished with 19 points and eight assists in 32 minutes.
“We sent him bodies, we showed him bodies. » Kyle Lowry said of the way the Sixers defended Brunson. “He still had some and-1s, he still made some shots. He’s an All-NBA, All-Star guy, a guy who’s going to be present and dominant in this league for a long time.
The Knicks shot 32.5% from the floor and 22.5% from 3 as a team against the Sixers. It was an overall lousy game for New York.
“The nature of the game was physical,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It was hard. I thought our defense was good, I thought the rebounding was pretty good. They made a few shots late in the 3rd and early in the 4th. But we fought, we came back, we had a chance at the end. We had a few turnovers that hurt us. That’s how it happens sometimes.
The Knicks are 37-27 on the season. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Brunson, who made his first All-Star team this season, is averaging 27.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 40.3 percent from 3 and 84.3% from the free throw line. He’s having a tremendous campaign and will likely bounce back from his tough outing.
