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Karl-Anthony Towns calls ‘cap’ on Jalen Brunson after Knicks’ Game 4 loss
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- Karl-Anthony Towns calls ‘cap’ on Jalen Brunson after Knicks’ Game 4 loss
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The post Karl-Anthony Towns calls 'cap' on Jalen Brunson after Knicks' Game 4 loss appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Jalen Brunson did everything he could to put the New York Knicks in a position to win Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, not even his team-high 31 points could break the Indiana Pacers ' momentum, leading Brunson and the Knicks to stare down a 3-1 deficit before heading home for Game 5 on Thursday.
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Between Tom Thibodeau changing the starting lineup and the Knicks forging multiple second-half comebacks, this team still finds themselves searching for answers. Aside from needing to make the right adjustments defensively to slow down Tyrese Haliburton , New York needs to be a lot smarter on offense.
In Game 4's loss, the Knicks turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 20 points for the Pacers. These inconsistencies with turnovers have cost New York dearly in this series, which is why Brunson says his play hasn't been good enough .
"I could sit here with you and be very detail-oriented with you about certain things, but obviously not good enough," Brunson told reporters on Tuesday night, via SNY. "So there will be a difference on my part when it comes to that."
Immediately after singling himself out, Karl-Anthony Towns , who was doing a joint press conference with Brunson, made sure to flip the script to say that everyone needs to be better to help their star guard.
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"It's as simple as that — we all got to be better for him. It's not just him, it's all of us," Towns stated. "He's cap. Of course he's going to always speak with the highest regard. As a team, we've all got to do better. It's not just him, it's all of us. We all got to do a better job of making it difficult for each one of them to score. And tonight, we didn't do that, as a team. Not just him, but as a team — we all didn't do that."
Brunson holds himself to very high standards. That is why he is so critical of his play and impact in this series against the Knicks.
However, Towns doesn't want the team's leader feeling like this entering Game 5 with their backs up against the wall. The Knicks understand it will take a team effort to prolong this series and force another game in Indianapolis, which is why Towns isn't letting Brunson single himself out.
Tuesday night marked the second game of this series where the Pacers scored at least 130 points. Through four games, Indiana is averaging 120.5 points per game. Although the Pacers are known for being a high-octane offensive team, the Knicks must step up on defense to keep their championship hopes alive.
It is up to Brunson, Towns, and the team as a whole to get the job done defensively on their home floor in Game 5 on Thursday night.
