Mavs' Josh Green on Bringing Physicality vs. Jalen Brunson: 'Our Job to Hit First'

In the Dallas Mavericks' victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night, Josh Green made it a point to bring the physicality against former teammate, Jalen Brunson.

The Dallas Mavericks earned an impressive victory without Luka Doncic on Thursday night, snapping the New York Knicks' five-game winning streak, 128-124. Leading the way, Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 44 points on 15-of-26 shooting from the floor and 6-of-10 from downtown while dishing out 10 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor in his fifth start of the season. 

Aside from those two having an explosive offensive performance, fourth-year guard Josh Green arguably played his best game of the season in his fifth consecutive start, finishing with a season-high 18 points, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal on 8-of-12 shooting. To top things off, he also the dagger 3-pointer in the final minute while matching up with former Mavs guard Jalen Brunson for much of the game.

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"It was good. It felt weird. It feels like a long time ago he was here, but he's a good guy," Green said of Brunson. "It's always cool to go against a competitor like that. I learned a lot from him when he was here, he took working out very seriously, [and he] always came back at nighttime.

“I was able to follow his routine and what he did. So, to be able to see the season he's had, and last year too, obviously being a competitor going against him, I don't want him to do that against us. But I'm really happy for him. I'm really happy for all the success he has had."

Josh Green pushes Brunson and SCORES! pic.twitter.com/TOWdboXqGF

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) January 12, 2024

Green took on the challenge of hounding Brunson for much of the game, but the former Maverick continued to play at an All-Star level, finishing with 30 points and eight assists. But for Green, it wasn't just about going head-to-head against his buddy Brunson that lit a fire under him -- it was about bouncing back from Dallas' underwhelming performance in Tuesday's loss to Memphis.

"Going off last game too, we all came in way too soft. We need to be the team that hits first. If we're hitting first, it's very hard to play against a team with Luka [Doncic] and Kyrie [Irving]," Green said. "So, it's our job to make sure we make that hit and we're aggressive. We can be a physical team, and we need to continue to do that. I think coming out like that was important.

Kyrie Irving Out-Duels Jalen Brunson, Shows Mavs’ Championship Ceiling in Win vs. Knicks

“I mean it's not directed towards him (Jalen Brunson), but after the last game and stuff. Last game wasn't who we were as a team so just making sure I just come out with a presence and just ready to go with energy," Green explained. “It was cool because the whole team followed it. It was good."

If Green and the Mavs can consistently come together as a unit to play with the aggressive mindset and physicality that they showed against the Knicks, their overall ceiling as a playoff team will take a jump, especially if they can finally get healthy.

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