The box score was a sight to behold.
The Knicks’ scoring was incredibly even in their 123-114 victory over the Trail Blazers on Sunday in Portland. All five starters scored at least 18 points: 26 from Jalen Brunson, 24 from OG Anunoby, 20 from Karl-Anthony Towns and 18 from Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Four of them shot over 50 percent from the field, with Hart just a hair short. Brunson, Hart and Bridges each had at least six assists.
This is the potential for the starting lineup if it fires on all cylinders.
“We have guys who can score, so that’s not surprising,” head coach Mike Brown said. “I didn’t know all five guys had at least 18, but all those guys can pass, dribble and shoot, and they’re all unselfish. And that makes it exciting for our team. When we get those guys all together, they’re a deadly start with five, and when they’re together, they’re a deadly group. Great stuff from both Josh and the rest of the group tonight.”
It’s also something that was largely missing without Hart. He is the thread that connects the Knicks.
Anunoby and Bridges are talented shooters and scorers, not initiators. Their main role in Brown’s system is to stay in the corner for catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. That requires a ballhandler who breaks down the defense, forces it to collapse and creates open looks.
The Knicks played eight games without Hart and returned to heavy Brunson usage and isolation with little ball movement. Anunoby and Bridges in particular struggled as the Knicks went 3-5 in Hart’s absence.
Anunoby’s scoring contribution was well above his 15.6 point average while Hart was out of the lineup. Bridges’ scoring average during that time was 12.4 ppg. It’s no coincidence that they all scored more in Portland with Hart back.
The Knicks invested heavily in those two, along with Towns, to be a strong supporting cast for Brunson. Brown’s system is designed to take the pressure off the point guard. The Knicks’ vision for the NBA title race is to be able to hurt opponents in countless ways. With their connector back, that depth was visible again.
“It was good to have him back,” Brown said. “Even having him back helps our tempo because he gets out and runs, he throws the ball forward and he pushes the ball at an extremely fast pace, and so we get easy baskets when we can play like that.”
That increased production from teammates allowed Brunson to be more selective with shots and have less control over the ball. He shot 52.6 percent from the field on Sunday, more efficient than all but one game in that eight-game stretch.
Besides Brunson, a more balanced scoring allowed Brown to keep Towns on the bench for the entire game and have better defenders on the floor in Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson. There was less reliance on Towns to score as Hart got Anunoby and Bridges involved. The pair combined for 17 points as Towns was benched for the final 9:24 of the game.
“I’m just really happy to have him back,” Brunson said of Hart. “He’s obviously done his very best to come back. He’s a big part of what we do, regardless of what people say and all that stuff.”
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