Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized the free throw disparity after his team’s 115-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, calling Jalen Brunson‘s lack of attempts “alarming.” Brunson, who entered the night averaging a career-high 7.8 attempts, did not reach the line once against the Cavaliers. The loss ended New York’s four-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.
Brown Questions the Whistle
“I’m a little surprised,” Brown said. “I have to go back and watch the film, but Jalen plays 34 minutes and has zero free throw attempts. That’s pretty alarming.”
Cleveland finished 20-of-25 from the free throw line, while New York went 11-of-11. Brown said he could not explain the gap.
“I’m not sure how or why it’s that way,” Brown said. “I know [at] one time the free throw advantage was 18-3. That’s not why we lost the game, but you just hope to get a little bit better whistle when you’re playing a good team because it’s already hard enough to go win the game.”
Brunson Bounces Back, Harden Stands Out
Brunson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, scored 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting. The performance followed a rough outing against the Milwaukee Bucks the previous night, when he made just 7-of-18 from the field.
Brown wanted more from his star guard, particularly when compared with James Harden, who went 9-of-11 from the line on his way to a season-high 32 points for Cleveland.
Brunson, as is his custom, avoided making controversy the focus after the defeat.
“I’ll have to control what I can control, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said. “Sometimes you have to make adjustments, no matter how the game is being officiated or not. Being able to adjust in-game is part of not just playing basketball but playing sports.”
Bench Changes and Bridges’ Minutes
Brunson’s extra offense was necessary throughout the game. Josh Hart returned after a three-game absence due to a right ankle injury and illness, but he scored only six points.
Mikal Bridges continued to struggle. He played just 17 minutes and did not appear in the final quarter, a night after logging only four second-half minutes in the blowout win over the Bucks.
Brown credited the play of Landry Shamet and Miles McBride, who combined to go 7-for-14 from three-point range, for Bridges’ limited role against Cleveland. Bridges entered the game averaging 6.3 points on 32.9% shooting, including 26.5% from beyond the arc.
Brown said that moving Bridges out of the starting lineup would be a “panic decision.”
“It’s going to be hard to find minutes at times for Mikal and Josh because those two are playing at a high level,” he said. “He’s like a lot of players, had their good moments and not-so-good moments. Mikal has a track record of playing at a high level.”