Knicks’ Tyler Kolek goes viral for ‘saving Christmas’

Kolek dropped 16 points in 25 minutes off the bench — sparking the late rally to win 126-124. But he scored 11 of those points in the fourth to ignite the comeback charge.

Kolek became the toast of Knicks social media, sparking multiple reactions across social media with some saying he saved Christmas.

Notable reactions for Knicks, Tyler Kolek Christmas

The second-year player from Marquette got ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps praising him.

“That is a very tough loss for the Cavs, who looked like they were on the verge of flipping the script on their recent struggles. Meanwhile, the Tyler Kolek Experience continues to be an amazing development,” Bontempts posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.

Jacob Ortiz of Legion Hoops was another who sounded off about the performance.

“Where were you when Tyler Kolek saved Christmas,” Ortiz posted.

Kolek himself reacted to becoming the Knicks’ new Xmas hero. Though he opted to rave about head coach Mike Brown helping him prepare for the moment.

“He coaches me hard. You want a head coach that’s on you – if he’s not, that’s more of a problem than the other way around,” Kolek said in the locker room postgame. “When you’re a point guard, you’re an extension of the coach. If he’s trying to get his message across, he’s going to say it to you. Maybe he didn’t mean it AT you, but he’s trying to get it across to everyone on the team.”

He included how he embraced playing in front of Knicks fans on the league’s biggest holiday — saying “it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Jalen Brunson ended up delivering the Most Valuable Player like performance against the Cavs, dropping 34 points. Jordan Clarkson added 25. But Kolek, again, spread the holiday cheer inside the MSG.