Deja Vu, RJ 44, Jules 29 in Loss to Bulls
If this headline looks familiar, it is a replica of the previous game’s post. Once again, two of the Knicks big three torched the opposition. This time it was for a combined 73 points as opposed to the 60 against Toronto. With Quentin Grimes back in the line up, and RJ and Jules scoring at will, Chicago still managed to eke out a 1 point victory.
Against the Raptors and now the Bulls, Jalen was held in check. With Ayo Dosunmu doing most of the heavy lifting, the Chicago defense thoroughly subjugated Brunson. Jalen’s stat line was a wretched 5 – 15, 1 – 3, 1 – 4, with 4 assists and 6 TOs. His paltry output, especially his 4 to 6 assist to TO ratio, buttresses the notion ‘as Brunson goes, so go the Knicks’.
The Knick’s PG’s famine became Barrett and Randle’s feast. Lanes opened up and RJ took full advantage of them, slashing and swishing his way to a 44 point game on an efficient 11 -19 including 4 – 6 from three. Jules put up 29 on 11 – 22 and a very commendable 5 – 10 from three.
Offensive fire works from Barrett and Randle apparently tempered the Knicks ferocity on defense. Their focus may have shifted from throttling the opposition to outscoring them. Whatever the cause, the Knick’s defense over these last two games has been less than stellar.
As feared, teams are willing to allow Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to run amok in an attempt to hold Jalen Brunson in check. An ancillary result of permitting RJ and Jules to ‘get off’ so easily is that the Knick defense has lost its tenacity. Knick fans’ aspirations for the ‘young guns’ shouldn’t blind us to the fact that, first and foremost, the team’s success rests on the shoulders of Jalen Brunson.
Box Scorer: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468640