Comeback Win Has Knicks in Good Place

After decades narrating New York Knicks games, Mike Breen perhaps provided the ultimate assist amidst the team’s 104-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

“I found out you were here doing the game,” point guard Jalen Brunson said when Breen, calling the game for MSG Network, asked him about the inspiration behind a season-best 39-point performance during a postgame interview.

Brunson lived up to his billing as metropolitan headliner and then some on Saturday, guiding the Knicks to their largest comeback victory of the season.

He scored 29 points a second half that saw New York erase a deficit that reached as high as 14 and had a role in 18 of the 30 tallies posted over the final eight-plus minutes of the third. That included a three-pointer that provided a permanent lead, one of seven sunk on the night.

“A fire got lit, and I found a way to make a couple shots and then turn some defense into good offense. From there on, it was obvious we found a way,” Brunson told Breen and color commentator Jamal Crawford. “It’s different in every situation. You got to read the game. Once I saw one go in, I had another good look and then I just I knew it was time to go and find a way to keep making shots … We got the lead and then, from that point on, we just played well with the lead.”

To Brunson’s point, the Knicks (18-10) struggled with New Orleans’ physical defense in the early going, a trend partly enforced by early foul trouble for Karl-Anthony Towns. Once Brunson got things rolling from the outside, the Knicks rolled to victory, outscoring the Pelicans 56-32 over the last 17 minutes.

With 13 wins over their last 17 games, as well as four straight positive tallies overall, the Knicks continue to take advantage of a good spot on the schedule: beyond two get-togethers with the Orlando Magic (including one this coming Friday), New York doesn’t face any opponent currently stationed in an automatic playoff spot.

While it won’t do anything for the Knicks’ strength of schedule, Brunson is pleased to see the team rise to the challenge as it continues to render a slow start long forgotten.

“There’s always still room for improvement, but I think we’re in a good space,” Brunson said. “We’re finding ways to win. We’re learning how to block out a lot of things, and, most importantly, we’re sticking together. I think if you’re thick and thin, no matter what’s going on, wins or losses, we stick together.”

The Knicks return home on Monday for a brief Christmas homestand, one that tips off against the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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