Mike Brown didn’t hide his frustration after the Knicks’ 115-107 loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday, and the focus of his postgame comments was Jalen Brunson’s trip to the free-throw line - or lack of one.
New York’s head coach said the star guard should have been treated better by the officials, especially after playing nearly the entire night without a single attempt from the stripe.
“Jalen [Brunson] played almost 35 minutes; he had zero free throw attempts,” Brown said. “That's pretty alarming.
I'm not sure how or why it was that way. That's not why we lost the game, but you hope you get a better whistle.”
The numbers backed up the complaint. Cleveland finished with 25 free-throw attempts, while New York had just 11. Brunson, despite carrying the Knicks offensively, never got to the line.
Brunson, though, put the spotlight on his own approach after the loss. He said his hesitation and lack of aggression made things tougher on his team.
“It puts my team at a disadvantage,” Brunson said. “I just got to be a little more aggressive with my mistakes if I'm making any.
Even without a free throw, Brunson led New York with 27 points, hitting 12 of 23 shots from the field and going 3 of 8 from deep. He also handed out five assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns kept rolling, too. He posted 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, extending his double-double streak to 11 straight games to open the season.
Miles McBride gave the Knicks a lift off the bench with 19 points, but Mikal Bridges struggled again and finished with just two.
The loss dropped New York to 6-5 and snapped its four-game winning streak. The Knicks will try to get back on track Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
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