The New York Knicks are winning games this season-but not in the nail-biting, buzzer-beating fashion that defined their identity just a year ago. In fact, as December begins, the Knicks have found themselves in only two games that were truly decided in the final moments. That’s a sharp contrast from last season, when close finishes were practically a weekly tradition and Jalen Brunson rode those high-pressure moments all the way to the NBA’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award.
So what’s changed? The drama hasn’t disappeared entirely, but it’s become a rare guest rather than a regular feature.
The Knicks have technically played in seven “clutch” games-NBA-defined as games within five points in the final five minutes-but only two have truly come down to the wire. Most of the others flirted with tension before the Knicks either pulled away or fell short without the typical last-possession fireworks.
Take Opening Night, for example. Cleveland made it interesting late, trimming the lead to five with two minutes left, but never really threatened.
Against Miami in October, the Knicks clawed back from 18 down to make it a five-point game with 90 seconds left-only to see Andrew Wiggins bury the dagger. They went toe-to-toe with Milwaukee for most of the game until the Bucks slammed the door in the final stretch.
And in their NBA Cup opener against the Bulls, the Knicks were competitive but never truly in control late.
The only games that truly fit the “down-to-the-wire” bill? A two-point loss to Miami in November, a narrow escape in Dallas where the Knicks survived an offensive foul call with one second left, and Friday’s NBA Cup finale against Milwaukee, where Brunson’s late and-one iced the game with just under 90 seconds remaining.
So, what’s driving this shift from crunch-time chaos to more routine results?
**Volatility, for one. ** The Knicks have become a boom-or-bust offensive team under Mike Brown’s system, which emphasizes pace, spacing, and volume shooting.
When it clicks, it’s a beautiful thing-raining threes, cleaning up the glass, and limiting turnovers. But when the threes stop falling and the rebounding edge disappears, things get dicey fast.
We saw both sides of that coin just last night. The Knicks came out red-hot, drilling 9 of their first 14 from deep and building a 24-point cushion.
But then the bottom fell out-they missed 15 of their next 17 from three, allowing Toronto to claw back within three in the third quarter. Ultimately, the Knicks leaned on their rebounding-grabbing a staggering 25 offensive boards-to hold off the surge.
That’s been the pattern. When the Knicks dominate the boards and shoot the ball well, they’re nearly unbeatable.
But if either of those pillars crumbles, the foundation gets shaky. They’ve shot under 34% from three in five games this season and lost four of them.
The lone win? A narrow escape against a severely shorthanded Mavericks squad in Dallas.
Both losses to the Heat came with sub-30% shooting nights, and Kel’el Ware helped neutralize the rebounding advantage.
On the flip side, when the Knicks clear 34% from beyond the arc, they’re 12-2. When they hit 36% or better, they’re 9-1-with the lone blemish being a defensive meltdown in Chicago. These aren’t squeakers, either-most of these wins have been comfortable, with Friday’s game against Milwaukee being the closest.
The rebounding numbers tell a similar story. When the Knicks win the battle on the boards by 10 or more, they’re 4-0.
When they win it by any margin, they’re 9-2. But when they lose the rebounding battle outright?
Just 2-3.
Yes, it might sound obvious that when a team plays to its strengths, it wins. But the way the Knicks win-decisively, when things are going right-is what stands out.
Last season, they were 22-2 when shooting over 41% from deep, but only 18-11 when they shot between 36% and 41%. This year?
They’re 7-2 in that same shooting range. That’s a sign of growth-more consistency, more control, and fewer games left to chance.
And then there’s the matter of big leads. One of the defining characteristics of the Tom Thibodeau era-and perhaps the most underrated-is the team’s ability to hold those leads.
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Knicks have held a second-half lead of 15 points or more in 89 games. They’ve won 88 of them.
That’s the best mark in the NBA over that span.
They even rattled off 75 straight wins in those situations across two seasons before the infamous collapse in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That one still stings, but it doesn’t erase the broader trend: when the Knicks are in control, they rarely let go of the rope.
That wasn’t always the case. The pre-Brunson Knicks were notorious for coughing up leads and unraveling late.
But with Brunson at the helm, the team has a steadying presence in crunch time. Even when Mike Brown’s system stalls, Brunson can take over, slow things down, and manufacture buckets when the offense grinds to a halt.
He’s not just a scorer-he’s a closer.
So yes, the games may feel a little more predictable this year. The wild finishes, the late-game heroics, the edge-of-your-seat moments-they’re not as frequent.
But predictability isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it comes with wins. The Knicks have found a formula that works: dominate the glass, shoot just well enough, and trust Brunson when the game tightens up.
It might not make for nightly highlight reels, but it’s making for a winning season. And if the Knicks keep playing to their strengths, they won’t need clutch magic-they’ll already be in control.