NEW YORK – Jalen Brunson was the NBA's 2025 Clutch Player of the Year for a reason. On Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, he added to his crunch-time resume by finalizing New York's 18-point comeback. It took almost half of the third quarter for Brunson to make his first field goal, but the final six minutes of the fourth quarter were his showcase.
New York reduced Houston's lead for the first half of the fourth quarter with Brunson on the bench. The guard entered the game with 6:27 left, shooting 4-4 from the floor and knocked down the lead-taking mid-range jump shot with 29.5 seconds remaining. It was the guard's 14th game-tying or go-ahead save since joining the Knicks' roster, good for second in the NBA in that span.
According to ESPN, Brunson trails only DeMar DeRozan in that regard. The superstar guard told reporters after the game that, despite the game's make-or-miss reputation, his fourth-quarter masterpiece was about a change in approach, not just a variation.
"I didn't like how I was playing and I saw I had to change it, it's that simple. It has nothing to do with shooting. It's the mentality of getting down the slope and trying to make plays. And not hesitate and not be passive. If there are mistakes, they're offensive mistakes. They want you to be on your heels. And I think that's what I was in the first few quarters," the Knicks captain told the media on Saturday.
Brown says the Knicks "have to get better" after being swept by the Rockets.
Reporters asked head coach Mike Brown about his group's tendency to underestimate competition and flip the proverbial "switch" when needed. He said after the game that although he has coached teams that can "flip the switch", such as the Golden State Warriors group that included Durant, those were unique situations that he was not counting on replicating in New York.
"We've found a way. But we've got to be better," Brown said.
The organization chose this coach to lead this group because his focus was on team process regardless of results. Sunday night's tilt in Chicago will conclude the weekend's back-to-back. After that, the Knicks have 24 games left in the regular season. Brown, and his players, will spend time honing that same process – trying to get as close to perfection as possible.
