Knicks make history in dominant start vs. Jazz

“It’s pretty cool,” admitted Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, who capped off the run with an emphatic three-pointer, when asked about it by MSG Network’s Alan Hahn (h/t New York Basketball on X). “We were able to get stops and we were converting on the other side, down the court. You’re not really thinking about it, you’re just going out there and executing it. That’s what it turned out to be.”

Detractors can perhaps dilute the Knicks’ accomplishment by mentioning the fact it came against a Utah group less than 24 hours removed from a win across town in Brooklyn. But this latest dominance from the Knicks, handling business against the rebuilding Jazz, is another encouraging sign for a team that fully intends on competing for a championship.

The game was scoreless for about 100 seconds before Karl-Anthony Towns opened things up with a three-pointer, creating a permanent lead. Mikal Bridges led the Knicks (15-7) with eight points in the stretch while Brunson, Towns, and Miles McBride all hit threes.

Equally encouraging was the Easter egg at Christmas time, as the Knicks blanked the Jazz for nearly several full minutes before Keyonte George finally broke the drought with a successful and-one opportunity. The Knicks’ defense, which began the game with a dozen forced misfires from the Jazz, was boosted with the return of OG Anunoby, whose sneakers touched MSG hardwood for the first time since Nov. 14.

While the hapless Jazz (8-14) briefly shrank to lead to under a double-decade, the Knicks managed to keep up a similar pace for the rest of the game, one that was paced by a combined 55 tallies for Brunson and McBride (who returned to the second unit upon Anunoby’s return). The historic nature of the Knicks’ early foundation almost became lost in the relative euphoria of taking care of business.

“I thought our guys did a nice job. They came out locked in defensively, especially to start the game,” said head coach Mike Brown, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I thought we did a good job of moving the basketball and trying to play with pace and spacing. “I thought all of our offensive staples were good, while we tried to do what we needed to defensively … Collectively, that’s a good win for us.” 

The Knicks will look to keep the historic pace up on Sunday afternoon when they wrap up a three-game homestand against the Orlando Magic (12 p.m. ET, MSG).