New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after making a 3-pointer during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The Knicks certainly appear as though they are the real deal.
Since acquiring OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 30, the Knicks are 12-2 and have methodically climbed up the Eastern Conference standings to fourth place after a 125-109 beatdown of the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Since New Year’s Day, the Knicks’ 12 wins rank first in the NBA as they’ve returned to the staunch defensive ways of head coach Tom Thibodeau. Of course, bringing in a 3-and-D talent like Anunoby certainly helps.
In the month of January, the Knicks have limited their opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage (43.6%), fewest three-pointers made per game (10.4), and points per game (100.4) in the entire NBA.
They’ve done this against some of the NBA’s very best, in the process. Just two nights before taking down last year’s Eastern Conference champions, the Heat, the Knicks demolished the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 122-84. On Jan. 5, they demolished the East’s No. 3 seed, the Philadelphia 76ers, by 36 points, after defeating the West’s No. 2 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves on New Year’s Day.
This isn’t a team that anyone wants to see right now given their defensive tenacity and the offensive production that has been spearheaded by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Brunson is having his best season as a pro, averaging 26.6 points and 6.5 assists per game.
Randle has chipped in with 24 points per night of his own, though a dislocated shoulder suffered in Saturday’s win over the Heat throws a wrench within the Knicks’ outlook for the remainder of the season.
Regardless, the Knicks’ red-hot run hasn’t done a whole lot to impress the sportsbooks to significantly improve their…
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