New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said he likes the way his team has been playing lately, and he’ll try to help New York extend its winning streak to five games when the Knicks visit the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
Brunson had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists Sunday, when New York beat Toronto 116-94 for its fourth straight victory.
“We’re holding each other more accountable,” Brunson told The Athletic. “We’re paying attention to detail a little more — we can still do better at that. I think the little things matter more than people think.
“If we keep believing that and keep doing that, then we’ll keep winning games. Playing in this league, there’s so much talent around the league, the little things can make or break wins and losses. We have to continue to do all that little stuff.”
Brunson is averaging 28.5 points per game this season. That ranks 10th in the NBA, one spot ahead of Boston’s Jaylen Brown. Brunson tossed in a game-high 31 points when the Knicks beat the Celtics 105-95 in New York on Oct. 24. Brown led Boston with 23 points in the loss.
“The numbers he’s putting up are pretty good (and) I don’t see it all the time, but when I see people talking (about MVP candidates), or I see lists, I never see him, and I’m amazed at the lack of attention that he gets for what he’s done in this league already — and what he continues to do, night in and night out,” said New York coach Mike Brown. “Especially when he’s the guy on a team that’s in a pretty good spot in their conference.”
Boston beat Cleveland 117-115 Sunday without Derrick White (calf) and Neemias Queta (ankle). Multiple reports have said both are expected to be in the lineup Tuesday.
Queta returned from an ankle injury and tied his career-high by scoring 19 points and also had a career-high 18 rebounds when Boston lost to Minnesota 119-115 on Saturday, but was held out of Sunday’s game for precautionary reasons.
Brown collected 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists — the fourth triple-double of his career — in Sunday’s victory over Cleveland, but was more of a playmaker than scorer in that game as Payton Pritchard scored a season-high 42 points.
Pritchard shot 15 of 22 from the floor and made six 3-pointers. It was the second time Pritchard has scored at least 40 points in a game during his NBA career.
“(Brown is) our best player, so I think what he’s capable of doing is he can affect the game in different ways on different nights,” Pritchard said. “You’ve seen the night before, he had 41 (in the loss to Minnesota). He can put on a scoring display. And then he can have a night like (Sunday) and have a triple-double and affect the game, which is even more impressive because he really missed a lot of shots that he usually hits. … So the growth and everything, it’s impressive.”
Boston is averaging 11.1 turnovers per game, which is the fewest of any NBA team. New York ranks second among NBA teams in rebounding (46.5). Both teams average 15.3 made 3-pointers per game.
