New York Knicks Teammate Roasts Jalen Brunson After Foul Trouble

Eager to expose and correct any weakness they may have before the postseason, the New York Knicks may have found one on Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers.

"We're going to have to tell [Jalen Brunson] to sit down tomorrow!" Josh Hart joked in his postgame interview with Kenny Albert and Walt "Clyde" Frazier of MSG Network, just as reserve Cameron Payne came to join him. "Tell him sit down tomorrow, Cam!"

The Knicks' latest victory, a 128-115 tally in Indianapolis on Tuesday, may have been one of their most vital, as it came at the end of a tense 72 hours on the metropolitan landscape: though third in the Eastern Conference, New York was a talking point for all the wrong reasons after Saturday, which saw them fall flat against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

While defeating the Pacers likely won't move anyone's championship needle (even though Indiana is the first team behind the Knicks on the Eastern leaderboard), the way New York earned their win is perhaps a brilliant step in the right direction: after an opening 24 minutes that featured 14 lead changes, the Knicks (35-18) had control for almost all of the second half despite Brunson landing in early foul trouble.

Brunson, whose lauded services are obviously cherished, was charged with three fouls before the first half let out and picked up two more by the end of the third quarter. As a result, he was limited to 22:44 of game time, his lowest workload of the season, and became the subject of more playful jabs from Hart.

"JB finally wants to try to play defense and he just fouls the whole time," Hart quipped, per Steve Popper of Newsday.

The Knicks, however, were saved by a team effort that afforded them revenge against the ended their most recent playoff run: Hart was more than entitled to his share of verbal civil war thanks to one of his most brilliant efforts of the season, pairing a season-best 30 points with 10 rebounds.

That created the first 30-10 game of his career and he and Karl-Anthony Towns (40 points, 12 rebounds) became the first group of Knicks teammates (and 11th overall) to reach such tallies in the same game since Immanuel Quickley and Tuesday opponent Obi Toppin did so in April 2022. New York earned a plus-12 advantage on the glass while taking advantage of a Pacer group missing Myles Turner.

The maligned Knicks bench, subject to trade rumors until the very last moment of last week's transactional madness, also played their part: Miles McBride allowed the Knicks to stave off several Indiana rallies with a perfect 4-of-4 night from three-point range while Landry Shamet added 11 in relief. The aforementioned Payne fell just short of a double-double, scoring nine points and assisting on a team-best eight other successful shots.

"Just to be super solid [and] make sure we get into our sets, just to make sure everything keeps running properly while he was out," Payne said when MSG's Pat O'Keefe asked him about his approach to an unexpected extended opportunity (h/t New York Basketball on X). "Push the pace and keep being myself out there."

As if to drive the point of team work home, the Knicks dished out 37 assists on Tuesday and six different New Yorkers had at least four.

By the time Brunson was required, the Knicks had inflated their lead to double-figures and never looked back. Brunson was grateful after an eight-point, seven-assist night but hinted at a vow to not to make a habit of watching from the bench—especially if Hart is playing a role in his place.

“I was of no help today and just thankful that I have them as teammates and they were unbelievable," Brunson said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "Josh played his[butt] off today. I don’t know what else to say about that. He was just a monster.”

Fortunately for Brunson, an instant opportunity for redemption awaits on Wednesday night when the Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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