NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson put his team on his back on Saturday night. However, his performance is merely a footnote in the Knicks' 134-128 loss to the Clippers.
Clippers forward Nic Batum drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game and send it to overtime where the Knicks could not capitalize on their valiant effort.
Brunson racked up 41 points on an incredibly efficient 14-of-19 shooting from the field and led his team from down 15 — which reached as high as 17 — entering the final period, even garnering a three-point lead with seconds to go in the fourth quarter.
Paul George (30 points) and Kawhi Leonard (35 points) combined for 65 points as the superstars dominated the night and were two of seven Clippers to score double-digit points
Brunson didn’t exactly receive the same support from his cast. Although two-time All-Star Julius Randle had a strong night with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, RJ Barrett turned in another inefficient performance. The 22-year-old registered 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field, hitting only one of his eight 3-point attempts.
Quentin Grimes fouled out in the overtime period after a strong performance. The second-year swingman poured in 13 points hitting three of his six 3-pointers, none bigger than the corner 3 — assisted by Brunson — that gave the Knicks the lead with 52 seconds remaining in the fourth.
Tom Thibodeau’s squad will get a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday night as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of a back-to-back.
