Knicks
This Knicks team can make history on any given night, in any situation, against any opponent. Last night at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks tied a 1988 franchise record with 84 first-half points. With their entire bench, they routed the Chicago Bulls 135-105.
Before yesterday, the Knicks averaged 51.6 first-half points, the third-fewest in the NBA. They had the league’s worst first-half shooting metrics. But last night, they shrugged off their championship hangover and answered the call in the first quarter. They weren’t going to rely on a desperate comeback this time.
Jalen Brunson got things started with 22 first-quarter points, including 19 in his first nine minutes. He fell two points shy of his single-quarter record but tied his first-quarter scoring record. He also set a franchise record with his 11th 20-point quarter as a Knick.
“Obviously, when you have it going, it feels good,” Brunson said. “And then, just trying to play off that, use your gravity to make plays. I feel like it started on the defensive side of the ball. We were able to get stops and get out of transition, create a comfortable lead, and I think we played well with the lead.”
The Knicks were without Josh Hart because of right-ankle soreness, so they called up Dalton Knecht from the Westchester Knicks. New York signed the former 17th-overall draft pick to a two-way deal last month after the Lakers dumped him.
But Knecht might be Leon Rose’s latest hidden treasure. Because the Knicks took a commanding early lead, head coach Mike Brown used all nine bench players, including Knecht, who posted 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. He was confident, dunking, draining threes, and saucing alley-oop passes.
Knecht played 78 games for the Lakers in 2024-25 and 54 for them last season. He averaged 9.1 points per game two years ago, but with a significant decrease in minutes last season because of Bronny James, he averaged 4.2 points per game. Clearly, the Lakers didn’t believe in Knecht.
Now, Lakers fans are complaining about more than LeBron James or his son. They are frustrated that their team let Knecht walk in favor of Bronny, their 52nd-overall pick in the same draft. Knecht must be good, or Lakers fans wouldn’t care. Brown said people look at Knecht and see a shooter, but he’s more than that.
“Watching on the bench and talking to my teammates was really helpful, and it was easy to get in there and play confident,” Knecht said. “All the guys out there gave me good luck. […] I just go out there and impact the game on all three levels. I want to show [what I can do] on the other side of the ball.”
Knecht wasn’t the only bench player who thrived. 21-year-old Mohamed Diawara had eight points, six rebounds, and four assists in 21 minutes, leading the bench. Behind him, seven-foot James Wiseman blocked three shots in 10 minutes, and Jordan Clarkson scored 10 points in 15 minutes.
After the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau two offseasons ago, they knew they had to expand their bench. One of Thibodeau’s biggest criticisms was that he didn’t use his bench enough. So, Rose acquired a top-10 bench scorer in NBA history. Yesterday, Clarkson moved into seventh place on that list.
A few days ago, Brown said Clarkson, a 12-year NBA veteran and former Sixth Man of the Year, was the best teammate he had ever coached. “If he’s willing to accept [his role], which he did last year, and still try to uplift everybody and connect everybody while he’s going through what he’s going through, then everybody else should,” Brown said. “That’s the ultimate team player.”
Clarkson helped the Knicks dictate the pace of play for all 48 minutes. They outscored Chicago 84-52 in the first half, but they didn’t back down at halftime. If anything, they doubled down, extending their lead to 44 points in the third quarter. They never looked back.
“That was as close to a 48-minute game as our group has had yet,” Brown said. “It was a really good [first] half in terms of doing what we believe we should be doing offensively as our staples. Everybody was really good in those areas.”
Karl-Anthony Towns only took one shot in the first half, but with 17 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes, he recorded his eighth straight double-double to start the season. The Knicks outscored Chicago by 34 points with him on the court. At one point, the Bulls missed 20 consecutive three-point shots.
The Knicks look to take yesterday’s momentum into a primetime Saturday night road matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers (8 PM, 7 PM CST – MSG, DAZN). They will play Cleveland twice in one week. Hopefully they beat them both times, even analytically.
Schedule
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): Thursday Night Hockey – NYR vs. PHI; MSG, DAZN
8:15 PM (7:15 PM CST): Thursday Night Football (TNF) – Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) at Baltimore Ravens (4-4); Prime Video
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Knicks
