Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals at home on Monday, suffering their first defeat since April 23. A win after taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series would have swung the momentum dramatically in New York’s favor. Instead, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs found a way through, handing the Knicks a 115-111 defeat.
Brunson, who wasn’t lights-out in the Game 1 and Game 2 wins, had his best game of the series, finishing with 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists. His teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, who had built a strong case for Finals MVP, struggled offensively with 11 points and eight rebounds on 4-of-10 shooting, including 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.
Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith believed Brunson was responsible for the defeat, accusing the Knicks star of “playing like he was trying to win Finals MVP” as he delivered some pointed criticism following the loss.
“We know who Jalen Brunson is and what he represents. But tonight, it looked like he was playing to be the MVP rather than playing to win Game 3,” Smith said. “25 shots in the time that he played. Karl-Anthony Towns only gets 10 attempts, four in the first and the second half. How does that happen? Josh Hart is hitting shots in the first half. he only gets five shots in the second half. How did that happen? OG Anunoby had 28 points on 13 shots. How do you not find Anunoby more considering the level of accuracy and efficiency that he was showing that you’re not showing if you’re Jalen Brunson in this series? Why in God’s name would you continue to shoot, shoot, shoot when you’ve got cats around you who are capable of making shots? Not to mention the fact that that’s what got you here. It wasn’t the way that you were playing for 75% of the season.”
As clutch as Brunson has been in this series, his playmaking has been abysmal. He has scored 82 points on 81 shot attempts and has as many turnovers (13) as assists (13) through the series.
While the Knicks lost Game 3, Brunson was the one who kept them in the game. The offense largely failed to show up as it was stifled by the Spurs’ physical defense. However, OG Anunoby’s 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting was a bright spot, making the final result look more lopsided than the game actually was.
The rest of the lineup virtually disappeared. Mikal Bridges, who was solid in Game 2, was held to just two points in 29 minutes, while Landry Shamet finished with three points in 23 minutes.
Truth be told, the Knicks looked like a team that had lost its identity, with some believing Donald Trump’s presence at the game may have contributed to the distraction. Of course, those aren’t excuses, but it’s fair to say the situation probably didn’t help matters heading into this one.
Jalen Brunson Focused on Regrouping After Game 3 Loss
With the NBA Finals series tightening up, Jalen Brunson is doing his best to remain composed following the Game 3 loss.
“The most important thing is that we were going to learn regardless, because we knew there were things that we were going to have to improve on going into the next game”
The lethargy and lack of desperation in Game 3 were evident. The Knicks seemed to lose confidence at times, struggling to find an offensive rhythm and committing costly mistakes, as reflected by their 13 turnovers.
Game 4 returns to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The big question now is whether Brunson will look to get his teammates more involved or continue carrying the offensive load himself.
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