How Jalen Brunson ‘flipped the switch’ in a clutch comeback against the Rockets

NEW YORK – Jalen Brunson was the 2025 clutch NBA Player of the Year for a reason. On Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, he added to his resume in shortstop putting the finishing touches on New York’s 18-point comeback. It took Brunson until about halfway through the third quarter to make his first field goal, but the final six minutes of the fourth quarter were his spectacle.

New York cut into Houston’s lead in the first half of the fourth quarter with Brunson on the bench. The guard entered the game with 6:27 left, shot 4-4 from the floor and pulled down the go-ahead jumper from the middle with 29.5 seconds left. It was the guard’s 14th game since joining the Knicks roster, good for second in the NBA in that range.

Brunson is behind only DeMar DeRozan in that regard, according to ESPN. The superstar quarterback told reporters after the game that despite the sport’s reputation, his fourth-quarter masterpiece was about changing access and not just variances.

“I didn’t like how I was playing and I saw that I had to change, simple as that. It has nothing to do with the shooting. It’s the mentality of trying to go downhill and play. And I don’t hesitate and I’m not passive. If there are mistakes, they’re aggressive mistakes. They want you to be on your heels. And I feel like in Saturday’s media he was the captain of several captains.”

Brown says the Knicks “have to be better” after sneaking up on the Rockets

Reporters asked the head coach Mike Brown about his group’s tendency to undercut the competition and flip the proverbial “switch” when necessary. He said after the game that while he’s coached teams that could “flip the switch,” like the Golden State Warriors groups Durant was in, those were unique situations he doesn’t count on repeating in New York.

“We found a way. But we have to do better,” Brown said.

The organization chose this coach to lead this group because of their focus on team process, regardless of results. Sunday night in Chicago will bring the back-to-back weekend to an end. After that, the Knicks have 24 games left in the regular season. Brown and his players they will spend them honing that process itself – trying to get as close to perfection as possible.