The New York Knicks lost on Martin Luther King Jr. Day after reeling off three consecutive victories. Despite Fred VanVleet’s gaffe in overtime and RJ Barrett’s incredible dunk, they lost a heartbreaker to the Toronto Raptors.
Jalen Brunson criticized Scottie Barnes after a devastating loss
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The Knicks’ overtime loss to the Raptors wasn’t without controversy, though. Jalen Brunson was called for a foul on VanVleet with 3:30 remaining in overtime.
Tom Thibodeau, the team’s head coach, appealed the ruling, but it stood. Brunson accused Scottie Barnes of pushing him into VanVleet after the game and publicly named Barnes as the perpetrator.
“I think it was Scottie that bumped me into him,” Brunson told the New York Post. “They felt otherwise, and that was that.”
“Hard to tell what a foul was.” Tom Thibodeau critical of officiating https://t.co/IVbREXgHGS #knicks
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) January 17, 2023
Obviously, the call infuriated Thibodeau. The only thing he asks of the officials is that they be consistent, and after the game he went off the rails.
“I don’t really care if a game’s called tight or if it’s called loose. I just want consistency,” Thibodeau, quoted in the New York Post, said ,“That’s what I look for. And so, it was physical. It was. There was a lot going on. And so again, I wanna watch to make sure I saw what I thought I saw.”
Against the Raptors, Brunson had some difficulty. Despite being named NBA Player of the Week, he underperformed.
The star point guard scored 26 points and added three boards, seven dimes, and two steals in the game’s final tally. Only 11 of his 29 field goal attempts were successful, and only 2 of his 6 three-point attempts were successful.
VanVleet was crucial to the Raptors’ victory over the Knicks. The point guard scored 33 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field and 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, adding 5 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
In the wake of the Knicks’ victory over the Wizards, star forward Kyle Kuzma credited Brunson with carrying the team to victory.
“Jalen Brunson. I mean, he just took over the game,” Kuzma said of his teammate via New York Basketball. “He’s an All-Star this year. He’s been playing phenomenal basketball… You can just tell from the team last year to this year, they have more poise and patience, and they look for him. And he delivered tonight.”
"Jalen Brunson. I mean, he just took over the game. He's an All-Star this year. He's been playing phenomenal basketball…You can just tell from the team last year to this year, they have more poise and patience, and they look for him. And he delivered tonight.”
— Kyle Kuzma pic.twitter.com/syZoNDiyzK
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 14, 2023
Brunson scored 34 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out eight assists against the Wizards, shooting 12 for 24 from the field and 3 for 6 from deep. He also scored eight crucial points in the fourth quarter.
Knicks fan Kendrick Perkins expresses his devotion
Even though Kuzma is a big fan of the Knicks, he isn’t alone. Earlier this month, ESPN analyst and former Boston Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins praised the Knicks, saying that they are in a great position thanks to the play of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson.
“Let’s take moment to appreciate Randle, Brunson and the Knicks for playing some damn good basketball… showing the basketball World that you can still compete and win games at a high level without having a “Superstar” on your team!!! Carry on…,” as Perkins tweeted.
Let’s take moment to appreciate Randle, Brunson and the Knicks for playing some damn good basketball… showing the basketball World that you can still compete and win games at a high level without having a “Superstar” on your team!!! Carry on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) January 15, 2023
