Through the chaos in the closing moments Monday night, with bodies colliding, coaches screaming and fans — and player — panicking as the Knicks embarked on a wild scramble as the clock ticked down, there was one place of calm in the storm.
Jalen Brunson ignored the bodies flying around and all of the noise and calmly picked up the loose ball, navigated through the Detroit Pistons defense as the clock headed to the final seconds and found Josh Hart heading to the rim as easily as if he were running a layup drill in practice — a steady and reliable force.
But when the Knicks took the court Tuesday the challenge was different and far more difficult as they were without their on-court leader, Brunson forced to sit out with cervical spasms in his neck, leaving the Knicks, already shorthanded without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, to face the New Orleans Pelicans without their calming force.
Without Brunson’s stabilizing influence — as well as his 27.7 points per game — the Knicks struggled to find a way to keep up with the Pelicans, falling115-92 at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks dug a deeper hole as the fourth quarter wore on with Donte DiVicenzo launching three-point attempts to try to match the firepower of the Pelicans — finishing with 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting, including 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. But with few weapons and a short roster the Knicks steadily fell behind.
After being held to their lowest point total of the season in their first meeting with the Pelicans when they lost 96-87 in October, the Knicks got off to a sluggish start on this night and fought for points all game long.
And this game seemed to be set to be the sort of street fight the Knicks found themselves engaged in Monday as Hart stole a pass from Zion Williamson and raced downcourt for a layup. Williamson blocked the shot but his windup and follow-through resulted in smashing his arm into Hart’s face — with no foul called as Hart was treated for a…
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