Jalen Brunson drops 55 points in a thrilling 136-132 overtime win at the Wizards

The Knicks fought with all their might and needed every point they could get in Saturday night’s 136-132 overtime win over the Washington Wizards.

Here are the takeaways…

-Although New York was considered a heavy favorite against the last-place Wizards, Saturday’s contest was always going to be a challenge for New York, which was playing its second game in as many nights after defeating the Orlando Magic on Friday night. This was evident early in the game when Washington took a 14-5 lead.

However, the Knicks were able to reduce the deficit to 31:30 by the end of the quarter, but it was clear that the defense was not that sharp and the Wizards had to give it up Kyle KuzmaShoots 14 of 25 from the field (3 of 8 from distance) in the first 12 minutes.

-After an almost even second quarter in which neither team had a lead of more than three points, the game was tied at halftime, 60-60.

-New York received its second look at the second overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Alexandre Sarrwho scored just eight points in his first game against New York on November 8th – a 134-106 win for the Knicks. The 7-footer finished Saturday’s game with 12 points, five assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes.

The biggest thorn in New York’s side, however, was Justin Champagne who fueled the Knicks to a double-double with 31 points on 13 of 15 shooting (5 of 6 from three) and 10 rebounds (four of them on offense). Overall, the Wizards finished with seven players scoring in double figures, including Malcolm Brogdon (22), Bilal Coulibaly (18), Carlton Carrington (17), Kyshawn George (13) and Corey Kispert (11).

– To counter Washington’s balanced offense, New York turned to its stars Jalen Brunson And Karl Anthony cities. The duo scored 85 of the team’s 136 points and went 31-for-50 overall from the floor. Brunson had a season-high 55 points, six shy of his career high, and nine assists.

– The Knicks were hoping to get more production from their bench for the second night in a row, but the only notable contribution came from them Precious Achiuwa who played 19 minutes and finished with three points, seven rebounds and two assists. Instead, New York leaned on Brunson and the rest of its starters, especially in the second half, to get back into the game.

– The third quarter was almost identical to the second, with both teams exchanging baskets and neither able to separate from each other – until the Knicks hit a nearly four-minute scoring drought near the end of the period in which the Wizards were able to do so in the final frame he is eight points ahead.

– New York trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but found their footing and fought back late. Brunson scored nine of the team’s final 12 points in regulation, including a floating jumper, with 11.1 seconds left to tie the game at 119-119, sending the game to overtime. Towns continued to step up in the fourth game, scoring 10 straight points as the Knicks beat Washington 29-21 in the fourth game.

– In overtime, Brunson continued to lead his team, reaching the basket and converting from the free throw line. And while the Knicks didn’t shoot well from distance (10-for-40), they made up for it in the charity stripe (24-for-26), with Brunson being the main reason for that at 16-for-17. New York needed all those freebies, too, because the Wizards (who shot 52 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep) wouldn’t stay quiet.

– The Knicks have won seven straight games and are 11-2 in December with one game remaining.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

If the Knicks need someone to save them, Brunson is expected to answer the call, which he did again on Saturday night.

Highlights

What’s next?

The Knicks remain in Washington DC as they will play the Wizards again on Monday, December 30th at 7 p.m