SAN FRANCISCO — When OG Anunoby flew back to New York for an MRI Monday morning, a member of the organization joked that Jalen Brunson might need to score 50 for the Knicks to get the win. If that was what it would have taken, maybe Brunson would have done it, but he didn’t have to because the Knicks found an unlikely hero to help him.
Deuce McBride stepped into the starting lineup in place of Anunoby. That might seem an unlikely choice, the 6-2 backup point guard replacing the 6-8 defensive stopper. But McBride’s job was to chase Stephen Curry around the floor and he did that — and more.
McBride sat just 89 seconds, scored a career-high 29 points, and frustrated Curry with his defense. And with Brunson doing what he does — 34 points and seven assists — the Knicks were able to escape with their fourth straight win and one of the most impressive and gutsy of the season, a 119-112 victory over Golden State at the Chase Center.
Brunson, named Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day, fell short of becoming just the second Knicks player to ever score at least 40 points in three straight games — mostly because Golden State was swarming him. He made the right plays, patiently working his way through the defense and finding open shooters. Donte DiVincenzo added 18 points and Josh Hart played all 48 minutes and had a 10 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist triple-double. McBride helped keep Curry from taking over, making him work for his 27 points on 8-for-20 shooting. Curry was 4-for-13 from behind the arc.
With 45 and 42 points in the first two stops on this four-game West Coast trip, Brunson has opened eyes in a continuing ascension to new levels of stardom this season. But against Golden State, it was a test that was as tough as anything he’s faced with Draymond Green.
Green will someday likely earn a Hall of Fame spot based first on his defense and at a muscular 6-6, 230 pounds he might seem an odd choice to guard Brunson. But what Golden…
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