The Knicks are really showing some ‘balance’ this season, sitting at a perfectly even 2-2 start. Tuesday night’s road loss to the Bucks was frustrating, as a double-digit halftime lead slipped away in a 121-111 defeat. The highlight? Jalen Brunson, who had fans praying for him and the already struggling team. With Mike Brown’s coaching decisions keeping supporters on edge, seeing Brunson take a hit was nerve-wracking, but he bounced back just fine.

In the postgame press conference, head coach Mike Brown addressed Brunson’s injury, explaining:

“I know he fell. But our training will tell me if somebody gets hurt. But nobody said anything. That’s why he continued playing. I don’t know. You would have to ask him that question. But I will say this. One thing he’s got to do, he’s got to keep giving officials an opportunity to call foul. Does that make sense? We always talk about beating with your chest. Beat with your chest, not with your hands. Because any time you beat with your hands, you guys are doing good. Whether you foul or don’t foul, you’re going to give an official an opportunity to make a foul call on you.”

For those who missed the live drama, Brunson took a couple of painful hits while handling the ball. The first looked like a groin strain, and the second saw him clutching his hamstring as he hit the floor. Despite the discomfort, he pushed through and kept playing.

When he later experienced some knee pain, Coach Brown called a timeout to check on him, but true to form, Brunson bounced right back into the action.

The Knicks’ injury list is already long: Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and Karl-Anthony Towns. So when Jalen Brunson went down briefly during the Bucks game, fans definitely held their breath. Thankfully, for now, Brunson is okay, with no further updates suggesting anything serious.

Through three games, Brunson has been carrying the team on his back, averaging 30.3 points and 5.7 assists per outing. In the home opener against the Heat, Brunson put on a show, dropping 37 points on 14-of-26 shooting, including five threes, and adding seven assists. He kept the Knicks within striking distance, cutting the gap to 110-105 with just over a minute left. 

But help was limited. Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 18 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges needed the full game to reach 20 points. Miami’s depth showed when Andrew Wiggins hit a clutch three to seal the 115-107 win. Even with Brunson’s heroics, the Knicks still need more balanced scoring to compete.

Before the season opener, Karl-Anthony Towns was still figuring out his place in Mike Brown’s system, and it showed on the court. The big man spent time in a long discussion with Brown during the game against the Heat. The topic? We don’t know for sure, but it was likely about his role. “Honestly, I don’t know—but we’re figuring it out,” KAT admitted earlier.

The team is also still adjusting to Brown’s 11-man rotation, a shift from Thibodeau’s nine-player system, but the coach isn’t sweating the early losses. “We’re still trying to find our way a little bit,” Brown said after the game. “Maybe we need to get hit in the mouth a few times to really respect it and understand it.” Even with the uncertainties, Brown seems calm and focused on getting his squad comfortable with the alternative approach.

Giannis takes over as Knicks lose grip

The night started off promising for the Knicks. Ball movement was crisp, shots were falling, and Mike Brown’s squad looked in control as they built a 12-point halftime lead over the Bucks. The Knicks shot an impressive 57% from the field in that opening stretch, with 15 assists and plenty of confidence.

But after the break, things unraveled quickly. Milwaukee came out with energy, opening the third quarter on a 7-0 run while New York couldn’t buy a bucket for nearly three minutes. 

At the heart of Milwaukee’s comeback was, of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP played like a man possessed, pouring in 37 points on a stunning 16-of-22 shooting night, along with eight rebounds and seven assists. His biggest moment came midway through the fourth when Jalen Brunson, who was having a brilliant 36-point night of his own, appeared to tweak his leg going after a loose ball. 

As Brunson stumbled in pain and lost the ball, Giannis grabbed it, sprinted the other way, and threw down a game-tying dunk that flipped the energy inside Fiserv Forum. That play sparked an 8-0 Milwaukee run, and from there, the Bucks never looked back.

Brunson stayed in the game despite visible discomfort and still managed to keep the Knicks within striking distance, but the help just wasn’t there. Mikal Bridges added 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns struggled again, finishing with just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting despite grabbing 12 boards. 

The Knicks’ second-half shooting dropped to 29%, including just 20% from deep, and their assists dropped from 15 in the first half to only nine after the break. Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins chipped in a career-high 25 points, while Andrew Wiggins sealed the deal with a late three-pointer.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t shy away from owning up after the loss. Taking full responsibility, the big man admitted he’s still adjusting. “I got a new role. I just gotta embrace it,” Towns said honestly.

“I didn’t do that for 48 minutes tonight… it’s Game 4, we just gotta learn. I gotta learn, you know, and I gotta be better. I just gotta be better, just more pace. More pace and … it’s just a different system than we all have recently in basketball. So we’re all finding our spots, and find where we could be the most effective in the system.