Mike Brown praises ‘selfless’ group as New York wins sixth straight against Lakers

NEW YORK – The The New York Knicks have found a rhythmpicking up their sixth straight win Friday night over the Los Angeles Lakers. The 112-100 victory was the result of an all-around, 30-assist home team at Madison Square Garden. All five of their starters contributed in double figures.

After their 2-9 slump, The Knicks responded with a renewed commitment to the basics. During their winning streak, none of their six opponents reached 110 points. The players also make faster and better decisions in the attack, which is the head coach Mike Brown credited for after the win.

“Our guys, first and foremost, are unselfish the way they are. But they know when they pull the other defender, that’s the time to find their teammate,” Brown told reporters after the game. “We all have to keep trying to make it easier for each other, and that’s where the 30 assists come in.”

The coach often stressed the need for players to influence the game in more ways than just scoring goals. He and Karl-Anthony Townsselected for his sixth All-Star Game an hour before tipoff, they seem to have found themselves on the same page in that regard. The coach has tailored schemes to help Townswho responds by rebounding more and fouling less. He had 11 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and four assists in 32 minutes against the Lakers.

Team captain Jalen Brunson had only 12 points against former teammate Luka Doncic, who he told reporters that Brunson “deserves to be in (New York) because he’s been incredible. His biggest contribution, however, came in the form of his seven rebounds and 13 assists, the most he’s dished out in a game since January of last year. When asked about assists, his response was pretty similar to Brown’s on the same topic.

“If your shot isn’t falling, you have to impact the game somewhere else,” Brunson said of himself and his teammates. “I was seeing two people all the time, so I was just trying to make the right play at the right time. We had good looks. We just played defense the way they play. They knocked down shots and the way we moved the ball was great.”

The Knicks are rediscovering their winning ways just in time for the trade deadline

Brunson’s mention of “the right play at the right time” is another indication that he and his coach are in sync. In mid-January, Brown used the same phrase when discussing Towns’ two turnovers in the first half against the Phoenix Suns.

“We knew they were coming. And, you know, I thought our spacing was good,” Brunson said. “We just didn’t get the ball to the right guys at the right time,” the coach explained after a 106-99 loss in which Towns committed three turnovers and five fouls.

Knicks effort against the Lakers, they demonstrated, for the sixth consecutive game, that they were bought into Brown’s system. It helps them find ways to win. Towns and Brunson’s relatively lower totals were symptomatic of the same defensive coverages that resulted in the team’s balanced offense.

Other symptoms included Landry Shamet making six of his ten 3-point attempts for 23 points off the bench, or that total bettered only by OG Anunoby’s 25 points. The second one was Josh Hart scored 20 points himself, reaching the goal for the third straight game.

Hart, who made three of his four 3-point attempts, told reporters that the team’s even-scoring offense won helps define Knicks basketball.

“I think we’re capable of that. We’ve got great depth. We’ve got guys that can knock down shots, guys that can make plays. It’s not always going to be JB or KAT’s night,” the Swiss Army Knife said of his All-Star teammates. “Obviously we’re relying on those guys to score points. But it shows we don’t have to push anything.”

This group will continue to be tested, with six games remaining before the All-Star break. That stretch of the schedule includes two back-to-back games, starting Tuesday and Wednesday against the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets. That leads the Knicks right into the Trade deadline on Thursdayafter which their roster is not expected to look much different. New York’s players and coaches will simply continue to work together toward the same championship goal.