Jalen Brunson carries Knicks late again in sloppy win over Pelicans…
NEW ORLEANS — When the game is in the steadiness, the Knicks appear to discover a means.
It’s now part of their identification — cast on the again of the Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson — they usually pulled it off again Monday in a sloppy victory over the Pelicans, 130-125, however a victory nonetheless.
Brunson and Miles McBride carried the Knicks down the stretch, combining for 11 of the team’s final 13 factors in the final 2 ½ minutes. Brunson linked on two photographs in the final 1:06 and McBride closed the game from the foul line.
The struggling Pelicans (8-26) still had an opportunity to tie in the final seconds while trailing by three, however Jordan Poole tried to attract a foul and jacked up a horrendous trey that barely touched the top of the backboard.
No rim.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard/ahead Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. IMAGN IMAGES through Reuters Connect
It spoiled an beautiful evening from Zion Williamson, who had 32 factors in 29 minutes. But it’s robust to win an in depth game against the Knicks (23-9), who personal a confidence, calmness and perception in the pressurized moments.
Brunson completed with a team-high 28 factors and 10 assists. OG Anunoby added 23 factors.
There was a second of controversy with 4:08 remaining, when Karl-Anthony Towns and Yves Missi battled for a rebound and the ball bounced over the baseline. The refs dominated it out on the Pelicans, however a protracted delay in play — for causes unknown — allowed the Pelicans sufficient time to see the replay on the Jumbotron and challenge.
Knicks gamers and coaches have been livid about the stall, nevertheless it didn’t matter. The name was overturned on the challenge, Towns was assessed a foul and Pelicans got the ball with 4:05 remaining and a tie game.
New York Knicks ahead Og Anunoby (8) pulls down a defensive rebound against New Orleans Pelicans ahead Kevon Looney, proper, in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. AP
On the next possession, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III hit a 3-pointer. But it didn’t matter. The Knicks still got here up big when it mattered most, despite an effort suffering from sloppiness.
Defense was an issue all night for the Knicks, who allowed 75 factors in the opening half. Saddiq Bey dropped 26 by the break. Williamson jump-started his aggressiveness in the second quarter, attacking the paint and forcing Karl-Anthony Towns into foul hassle. Williamson had 18 factors and 5 rebounds in the first half.
Mohamed Diawara began again at ahead, serving as the substitute for injured Josh Hart. The rookie arrived at Smoothie King Center on hearth, dropping 13 factors in the first quarter — including 3-for-3 from past the arc (he completed a career-high 18 factors).
It was an eye-opening stretch from a participant whose earlier profession high was 5 factors, with Brown explaining pregame why he’s bullish on Diawara’s potential.
“In the summertime you started to see his feel. Just his feel for the game is uncanny for a guy who is 6-8 or 6-9 and for how young he is,” Brown said of the 20-year-old second-round decide. “And then everything you try to talk to about or teach him, he tries to observe and go do it. He works extremely hard. He’s long. He’s a pretty good defender. Getting better. Just a lot of little things that you kind of watch and go, ‘Oh my gosh, wow.’ And all those things when you add them up to a possible opportunity it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and say, okay let’s see what’s going to happen.”
The Knicks have been lacking each Hart and Mitchell Robinson, who sat in his hometown resulting from load administration and wasn’t in the enviornment. But they returned McBride, who sat the earlier 9 games with a sprained ankle and produced 14 factors in 18 minutes Monday.
Brown also went deeper than standard into his bench, playing 12 guys in the first half, including the reinsertion of Guerschon Yabusele (9 factors, two rebounds, 16 minutes) into the rotation. It continued Brown’s development of spreading the alternatives, which was applauded Monday by Mikal Bridges as a tactic to spice up morale and engagement from the bench.
“Yeah, for sure. Knowing that the work you put it, you might get your name called,” Bridges said “And also prefer it builds more as a team. And the factor is, we love each other and are competitive at the same time. But you realize you wish to be out there sometimes.
“The energy, the cheering on, there’s going to be thoughts of, ‘Damn, wish I was out there.’ Which, you know, could hold back your energy. Just a little bit. I’m not saying it’s going to be drastic. But knowing that you’re playing, now it gives even more energy because you feel like you contribute to whatever, knowing you might get called. So it’s just a different energy for the bench. Especially if we make runs. If we got nine guys that play, 10 guys that play, everybody is so juiced up because they played three minutes, they played four minutes.”
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