NEW ORLEANS — When the game is in the balance, the Knicks find a way.
It’s now a part of their identity — forged on the back of the Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson — and the Knicks pulled it off again in a 130-125 victory Monday that was sloppy, but another victory nonetheless.
Brunson and Miles McBride carried New York down the stretch, combining for 11 of the team’s 13 points in the final 2 ½ minutes. More specific to their clutch heroics — Brunson connected on two drives inside the last 66 seconds, and McBride closed the game from the line with four consecutive free throws.
The struggling Pelicans (8-26) still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds while trailing by three, but Jordan Poole tried to draw a foul and jacked up a horrendous trey that barely touched the top of the backboard. No rim.
The Knicks (23-9) won for the 15th time in their past 18 games, a stretch that includes the NBA Cup championship.
“We find a way to win,” Brunson said. “I think we have a growing confidence as a team, not necessarily just in fourth quarters. We understand how we started [Monday] was unacceptable. And we got to figure out how to win a game from where we were. So we got a lot of confidence in each other. But we got to start better. And we got to play better honestly throughout the whole game. But we found a way to win.”
Brunson’s heroics and Poole’s blunder spoiled an exquisite night from Zion Williamson, who had 32 points in 29 minutes for New Orleans. But it’s tough to win a close game against the Knicks, who operate with confidence, calmness and belief in the pressurized moments.
Brunson only played six minutes in the fourth quarter and scored 10 of his team-high 28 points during that stretch. He also finished with 10 assists. OG Anunoby added 23 points.
McBride, who returned from a nine-game absence because of a sprained ankle, scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He nailed pairs of foul shots to put the Knicks up by 3 with 16 seconds left, and up by five with 5.5 seconds remaining.
“Honestly, just my faith,” McBride said of his mindset at the line. “I prepare for these moments. And I trust God and preparation and just go out there and give it my best.”
There was a moment of controversy with about four minutes remaining, when Karl-Anthony Towns and Yves Missi battled for a rebound and the ball bounced over the baseline. The refs ruled it out on the Pelicans, but a long delay in play — apparently due to a horn malfunction — allowed the Pelicans enough time to see the replay on the Jumbotron and challenge.
Knicks players and coaches were furious about the stall, but it didn’t matter. The call was overturned on the challenge, Towns was assessed a foul and Pelicans were given the ball in a tie game.
Interestingly, this happened in the same arena where last season the Pelicans were whistled for a delay of game against the Knicks because a ball boy started wiping a non-existent wet spot on the court. The reason last season was obvious — so that the home team could have more time to decide on whether to challenge.
This time, the delay was an arena malfunction.
“I don’t know this rule, they said that because the horn all of the sudden didn’t work that it was a stop in play and because it was a stop in play that doesn’t count for the 30 seconds or whatever you get for challenging,” coach Mike Brown said. “That horn malfunction happened at the right time for them.
Suspicious?
“Very, very, very suspicious,” Brown said. “I hope I don’t get fined for that.”
On the next possession, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III hit a 3-pointer. The momentum resided with the Pelicans until Brunson took control. As usual, the Knicks came up big when it mattered most, despite an effort littered with sloppiness.
Defense was a problem all evening for the Knicks, who allowed 75 points in the opening half. Saddiq Bey dropped 26 by the break. Williamson jump-started his aggressiveness in the second quarter, attacking the paint and forcing Towns into foul trouble. Williamson had 18 points and five rebounds in the first half.
The Knicks were terrible. And then, as usual, they owned crunch time. Give them a close enough game, and Brunson will carry them home.
“You’ve got to have a guy. And when I’m talking about a guy, I’m talking about a league MVP and we have A GUY,” Brown said. “He definitely makes the game easier for everybody.”
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