Knicks coach Mike Brown criticised the free throw disparity after his team’s 115-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, calling Jalen Brunson’s lack of attempts “alarming.”
Brunson, who entered the night averaging a career-high 7.8 attempts, did not go to the line once against the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers finished 20-of-25 from the free throw line, while the Knicks went 11-of-11. The loss ended New York’s four-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m a little surprised,” Brown said. “I have to go back and watch the film, but Jalen plays 34 minutes and has zero free throw attempts. That’s pretty alarming.”
Brown also questioned the officiating. “I’m not sure how or why it’s that way,” he said. “I know [at] one time the free throw advantage was 18-3. That’s not why we lost the game, but you just hope to get a little bit better whistle when you’re playing a good team because it’s already hard enough to go win the game.”
Brunson and Harden lead the scoring
Brunson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, scored 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting. He bounced back from a 7-of-18 shooting night against the Milwaukee Bucks a night earlier. Brown wanted more, particularly when he compared his guard’s output with that of Cleveland’s James Harden, who went 9-of-11 from the line on his way to a season-high 32 points.
Brunson, as is his custom, avoided controversy after the defeat. “I’ll have to control what I can control, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said. “Sometimes you have to make adjustments, no matter how the game is being officiated or not. Being able to adjust in-game is part of not just playing basketball but playing sports.”
Hart returns, Bridges struggles
Brunson’s extra offence was needed throughout the game. Josh Hart returned after a three-game absence due to a right ankle injury and illness, but he managed only six points. Mikal Bridges continued to struggle, playing just 17 minutes and sitting out the final quarter entirely. He had played only four minutes in the second half of the blowout win over the Bucks the night before.
Brown credited the performances of Landry Shamet and Miles McBride, who combined to go 7-for-14 from three-point range, for limiting Bridges’ minutes. Bridges entered the game averaging 6.3 points on 32.9% shooting, including 26.5% from beyond the arc.
Brown said that moving Bridges out of the starting lineup would be a “panic decision.” “It’s going to be hard to find minutes at times for Mikal and Josh because those two are playing at a high level,” he said. “He’s like a lot of players, had their good moments and not-so-good moments. Mikal has a track record of playing at a high level.”