More evidence of the Knicks once again being one of the NBA’s signature franchises on the court was presented last week when guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns were named starters for the Eastern Conference squad for this season’s NBA All-Star Game, scheduled for February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
They became the first pair of Knicks to earn starting spots in the same All-Star Game in 50 years, the last duo being Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe in 1975. Going into last night’s game at Madison Square Garden versus the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, the Knicks were 31-16, No. 3 overall in the East behind Cleveland Cavaliers (37-9) and just one game behind the defending league champion Boston Celtics (32-15) in the standings.
Brunson and Towns have been instrumental parts of a collective that has yet to play its best basketball this season missing center Mitchell Robinson, who is still recovering from left ankle surgery performed last May, and a bench that essentially is a two man outfit — guard Deuce McBride and forward Precious Achiuwa. Brunson was 10th in the NBA in scoring at 25.8 points per game and 8th in assists at 7.4 prior to facing the Nuggets. Towns was 14th in scoring at 24.9 and has been a monster on the glass, averaging 13.8 rebounds, second in the league behind the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis’s 14.6.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said the 28-year-old Brunson’s second All-Star selection and the 29-year-old Towns’s fifth is a testament to the team’s output and results as a whole.
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“I think it’s great, and they’ve had great seasons, but it’s also a byproduct of what their teammates are doing with them as well,” he said. Indeed their fellow starters Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges have all been standout two-way players who have made imprints on both ends of the court.
“Winning gets them recognized, “Thibodeau said of Brunson and Towns. “And there’s still a long way for us to go, but it’s a great accomplishment for our organization.”
Ironically, it’s the Knicks’ offense that has been their strength this season under a head coach who built a reputation as one of the game’s best defensive minds. Since Thibodeau became the Knicks’ head coach in July 2020, defense has been the team’s identity and conversely he has received criticism from a segment of the Knicks fan base for an offense that was average to below average in league metrics.
Now, fueled by Brunson and Towns, and following consecutive 143-point outbursts at home versus the Kings on Saturday (143-120) and the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday(143-106), the Knicks were fourth in scoring in the NBA at 117.8. They were a solid 8th in opponents points allowed at 110.8.
The Knicks will host the Los Angeles Lakers at MSG on Saturday and the Houston Rockets on Monday, and face the Toronto Raptors on the road on Tuesday.