The Knicks came back to take down the Memphis Grizzlies in a thrilling win on the road on Friday night, punctuated by OG Anunoby‘s game-winner.
Anunoby’s shot was just a footnote in a game that featured many storylines, including the return of center Mitchell Robinson and the continued clutch play by Jalen Brunson.
Coach Tom Thibodeau spoke after the win to talk about Robinson’s first game back and what it took to make the right plays in the final moments of Friday.
Trust in Mitchell Robinson remains
After about 10 months, Robinson returned to the Knicks lineup. While he didn’t start, he came off the bench and gave New York some good minutes, 12 to be exact.
In that time, Robinson scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting — including a massive dunk — five rebounds and one assist. He was a team-high plus-11 while on the court and was essential to the Knicks’ comeback.
“Getting Mitch back was a big plus for us. Mitch getting in there, in I think 12 minutes five rebounds – great, great,” Thibodeau said. “It gives us a different element to our team. It makes us a lot bigger.”
Despite not being on the court, Thibodeau had Robinson stay on the floor in the final few plays. It was a risky move since Robinson hadn’t played a game since last spring and could have been a liability on defense. But the longtime Knicks coach was confident the big man gave the team a better chance to win being on the floor.
“He trusts me, you know? Missing 10 months and to put me in a big spot, position right there to get a stop or whatever, means a lot,” Robinson said of Thibodeau. “Shows that he trusts me a lot. Still rocks with me.”
Robinson was a deterrent in the final play after Ja Morant missed the layup thanks to Mikal Bridges‘ defense not giving the scorer a better angle to the rim. Robinson boxed out Santi Aidama who tried to tip in the miss, sealing the Knicks’ win.
“For first game back for the amount of time that he’s been out, I thought it was really, really good,” Thibodeau said of Robinson’s game. “We’ve been seeing it in practice, too. So this is the next step. And so, just having the pick and roll defense and the rim protection, the rebounding. He made a lot of good plays, just moving in penetration, the pressure on the rim offensively, those things are huge. It opens up space for us. And it’s really a game of space. So the more you can create space. The, the better your offense is going to be.”
Jalen Brunson making right plays in crunch time
Brunson has continued to help the Knicks win tight games, garnering the nickname “Captain Crunch” as his play in crunch time has single-handedly helped New York escape with wins against the Bulls and 76ers since the All-Star break.
On Friday, Brunson had his fingerprints all over the finish. He made a three with 25 seconds left and then found a wide-open Anunoby after driving to the hoop for the game-winner.
“That’s what I loved about the end of the game because it was great team play,” Thibodeau said of the final few Knicks possession. “What you can’t get lost was the screen that Josh [Hart] set, when Jalen hit the three. Was a tremendous play, very unselfish, but a great, great screen. And then, Jalen and getting into the paint and finding OG, and OG relocating to find the space and then hitting the shot.”
Brunson finished with 23 points on 10-of-23 shooting, seven rebounds, six assits, three steals and one block. A statline that shows Brunson is doing everything to pull his team to a win. But what Thibodeau finds most impressive about Brunson is that although he could have tried and tied or gone for the win on his own, he
“He’s a big time shot maker but it’s also his teammates and understanding what you have to do; it takes five guys to execute,” Thibodeau said of Brunson’s play in crunch time. “To create the shots for him, and then he’s got to make them, which is another element. And then he’s also got to make the right reads. I thought the pass, he didn’t force it. That was the right play, and it was a great play. OG was right and ready and had great shot preparation and he let it fly, and it was beautiful. That’s what it takes.”
