Knicks Get Honest About Ugly First Road Win

As ugly as the win was, it was a critical step forward for the Knicks, who looked much better with Jalen Brunson back from injury. Brunson led the team with a 28-point night, and in a postgame interview, appeared to interpret the ugly win as a hopeful sign for the team.

“Found a way to win,” Brunson said, h/t SNY's Ben Krimmel. “It was ugly, but when you win ugly, it’s the signs of a team learning, getting better. So no matter what the situation is, we've got to find a way to win.”

For his part, Shamet felt the same way. A win is a win, but it didn't feel as satisfying.

"We don’t want it to come down to that, though,” he continued. “We've got to do a better job of playing 48 minutes and find a way to create some more separation earlier in the game.”

A Win is a Win

The Knicks entered the showdown as one of only two teams in the league without a win on the road, having gone 0-4 against their 7-1 record at MSG. The only other team with zero road wins was the Indiana Pacers, who still have an 0-8 record on the road and a 2-13 record overall.

The Mavericks showdown featured a minor storyline involving the Mavericks' current head coach, who the Knicks were pursuing before landing on current HC Mike Brown. After firing Tom Thibodeau in the offseason, the Knicks were turned down for an interview for Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who shared that is was nice to feel wanted anyway.

Kidd was frustrated with the final call, but praised his guys for a job well done.

“Great execution, great catch, great pass by D-Live," Kidd said, h/t Ryan Stano of Heavy.com. "For PJ to be able to pass it to D-Live and then for him to catch it and for him to find B-Will on the run was great execution. Tough call. Had a good look, called a foul.”

The Knicks will prepare for their next road game against the Orlando Magic, who are 8-7.