Jalen Brunson pointed to defense and ball movement as positives after the New York Knicks fell 103-100 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Brunson missed a corner three before OG Anunoby’s follow-up attempt also came up short.
“Just missed it,” Brunson said about his late shot. “We’re just going to want that one back.”
New York stayed within striking distance against the NBA-leading Thunder despite an off shooting night from several key players.
“We played hard,” Brunson said. “Defensively, I think we played all right and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
The All-Star guard finished with 16 points and a season-high 15 assists while shooting 5-for-18 from the field.
“Obviously, the ball wasn’t going in for myself or a couple others,” Brunson said. “But we gave ourselves a chance by the way we played defense.”
Oklahoma City repeatedly sent traps and double teams at Brunson throughout the night, forcing the Knicks’ point guard to adjust as a playmaker.
“I feel like I missed a lot of shots I normally make,” Brunson said. “Got to give them credit, but I was able to manipulate them a little bit and find other guys to make plays.”
That approach helped spark New York’s third-quarter comeback after the Thunder built a 15-point lead midway through the period.
“Getting stops and running and just making the right play,” Brunson said about the momentum shift. “I think we’re all on the string and feeding off each other.”
The Knicks erupted for 40 points in the third quarter and briefly took the lead before Oklahoma City regained control late behind Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Over the past month, Brunson said New York’s defense has become a consistent foundation for the team.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Brunson said. “It’s putting us in a good trend and we’ve got to continue on that way.”
The point guard noted that the team’s defensive focus comes from preparation behind the scenes.
“It’s what we work on,” Brunson said. “When we’re behind closed doors, we’re talking through everything and working at it.”
Head coach Mike Brown’s first technical foul of the season also drew attention during the game after he protested a no-call involving Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I’ve seen Mike,” Brunson said when asked about the coach’s reaction. “Absolutely, I’m going to have his back every single night. He has ours.”
Brunson also revealed he left the game with a visible mark from contact during the physical matchup.
“Yeah, a little black eye,” Brunson said. “Probably a no call.”
Despite the narrow loss, the Knicks remain third in the Eastern Conference at 40-23 and will continue their road trip Friday in Denver.
“We still got a long way to go,” Brunson said. “But we’re taking steps.”
