Jalen Brunson looks ahead to home opener after OT loss to Grizzlies: ‘It’s going to be a fun night’

Immediately following the gut-punch defeat in Memphis — or, in the case of Jalen Brunson, an elbow to the rib cage — the point guard wasn’t much interested in the sentimental angle. Sure, it’s a lifelong dream to play at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks, the favorite team of Brunson’s youth with Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston as his heroes.

But the home opener Friday is only as enjoyable as the result.

“It’s going to be a fun night. But we need a win,” Brunson said Wednesday after the Knicks fell to Grizzlies in OT, 115-112. “That’s all I care about.”

There are no must-win NBA games in October unless they’re in the pandemic-inspired bubble of 2020. But there are levels of opponents the Knicks must beat consistently to reach the playoffs.

Friday’s visitors to MSG, the Pistons (1-0), fit into that category. They’re among the NBA’s youngest with four starters 23 years old or under, including 2021 first overall pick Cade Cunningham and 2022 5th pick Jaden Ivey.

The Pistons were also instrumental in Brunson joining the Knicks. To clear the cap space for the Brunson’s $104 million deal, the Knicks unloaded the contracts of Kemba Walker, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to Detroit in draft-day trades.

Only one of those former Knicks — Noel — is in contention to play for the Pistons at the Garden on Friday. Walker, who was waived by Detroit and remains a free agent, may never play again. Burks is injured and Noel is recovering.

Their value is expiring contracts.

Brunson, however, is the key piece to wherever the Knicks land this season. His impact was evident against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, when the Knicks floundered while he sat with foul trouble and relied on his playmaking for the second-half comeback.

By the end evening, Brunson had assisted on the game-tying 3-pointer in regulation, drew the ensuing game-saving charge in regulation and took a painful shot to his ribs in the final seconds of OT.

But the Knicks lost. And Brunson, whose career as a Knick at MSG begins Friday, only cared about that result.

“I like the way we fought back [against the Grizzlies],” he said. “We made some plays down the stretch — didn’t make enough. … That was a chance for us. We’re going to learn from it and get better from it.”

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from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/iIgOrbm