'It Takes All of Us!' Knicks' Jalen Brunson Eyes More Consistent Defense
The New York Knicks are celebrating after a 129-122 win on Christmas Day against the Milwaukee Bucks. Monday's win marked the first victory for the Knicks (17-12) against the Bucks in four tries this season and their first against a conference leader this season.
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"It took a lot of effort," Jalen Brunson said in his postgame interview with ESPN's Andraya Carter. "(I'm) just happy with the way we played today... They're a hell of a team, just happy we walked away with a win."
While Brunson dazzled on offense with a game-high 38-point performance, it was New York's ability to contain Milwaukee on the defensive end that captured the victory. After allowing the Bucks to shoot over 50 percent from the field and beyond the 3-point line in Saturday's loss, Milwaukee (22-8) was limited to just 31 percent from distance in Monday's win.
"We've got to stay defensively consistent, making sure we got each other's back," Brunson said. "We can't rely on one guy to stop one guy. It takes all of us."
Coming into Christmas Day, the Knicks ranked 14th in defensive rating with a mark of 114.2. Ironically enough, it's an identical rating to what the team boasted a year ago, when it ranked 19th in the league. If the Knicks want to become a true contender in the East, this is the biggest area of improvement. The job is harder without Mitchell Robinson protecting the paint, but as Brunson said, it's a team effort.
The Knicks are back in action on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
