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Catching Strays | Mike Brown: Tyler Kolek is winning the Knicks backup PG battle
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- Catching Strays | Mike Brown: Tyler Kolek is winning the Knicks backup PG battle
This is Catching Strays, the Daily News' regular Knicks rundown for the quotes, stats and storylines that didn't make a headline.
Today: a new development at New York's backup point guard spot, the biggest performances around the NBA on Wednesday, and the Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson answers that didn't make the game story.
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Kolek over Alvarado
Mike Brown said during Knicks training camp that no player's role was safe outside of the starting five. He made good on that promise on Wednesday when he subbed third-year point guard Tyler Kolek in for first-half minutes over veteran point guard Jose Alvarado.
Kolek did not attempt a field goal but recorded five assists to no turnovers in 11 minutes of action. After the game, Brown said he's changing the pecking order of the Knicks' guard rotation.
"Jose had the first opportunity in our last game [against the Nets]. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half, and Tyler played well," the coach said. "And so I'm gonna go with Tyler, and if I think I need to make a change because Tyler's not getting it done in my eyes, then I'll go back to Jose."
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The turn of events has come quick for Alvarado, the Brooklyn native who had a street in Bushwick renamed after him after both helping the Knicks win an NBA title and re-signing on a three-year, $14.4 million deal during the offseason. Alvarado had eight points, three assists and two steals in 16 minutes in the season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had two points, two assists and a steal in 11 minutes in the loss to the Boston Celtics before an ankle injury sidelined him for four games.
Alvarado has been scoreless in the two games he's played since. He did not play until the fourth quarter on Wednesday, missed all four of his shots and turned the ball over twice in nine minutes.
"Every position coming off the bench is a competition all the time. Nobody's minutes are set in stone," said Brown. "Both those guys helped us win at a high level. And so either one of those guys, we feel, can help us in a lot of good ways at any time.
"So they just have to both stay ready and make sure that they continue to do what they're doing. When they're not playing, they both have done a heck of a job cheering for their teammates and trying to uplift everybody."
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Meanwhile, Miles McBride scored seven points in 11 minutes on two-of-three shooting from 3-point range, made a four-point play with 3:23 left in the third quarter and finished plus-16 with two steals.
Kolek is averaging 3 points and 5.2 assists with five games under his belt in Year 3. He leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (15.5) with 31 dimes to just two giveaways to start the season.
"He's basically Wilt."
Jalen Brunson's 22 first-quarter points against the Bulls was just the tip of the iceberg for a widespread scoring outbreak across the association.
Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points with 24 rebounds and eight blocks in the San Antonio Spurs' 112-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. It was the first 50-20 game in Spurs history, and he made 19 of 23 free throws. Wembanyama became the second player since blocks became an official stat in 1973-74 with at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks, joining Bob McAdoo, who did it on Feb. 22, 1974.
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"It's just figuring things out," Wembanyama said after the game. "Sometimes, you're one step ahead. Also, I haven't been feeling great lately. I'm sick. I felt like I got my legs back. So, it should be more like this more often."
His teammate Dylan Harper summed it up in three words.
"He's basically Wilt," Harper said.
Luka Doncic scored 40 points on 6-for-13 shooting from 3-point range in the Lakers' 116-103 win at Sacramento, his sixth straight game with at least 35. The only other Lakers to do that are Kobe Bryant and Elgin Baylor.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 with eight assists in Oklahoma City's 124-116 win over Cleveland, his second straight 40-point game against the Cavaliers after he scored 43 in Monday's win in Cleveland.
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In Los Angeles, Bam Adebayo scored 35 on 14-for-20 shooting with 10 rebounds, and Klay Thompson made 8 of 17 3-pointers and hit the winner from the left corner with about one second left in overtime as the Heat beat the Clippers 117-116. Miami had trailed by 20.
Brown said no. Brunson said maybe.
The Knicks' coach was asked whether he thought about leaving Brunson in after the guard scored 22 points in the first quarter Brown said he did not, mostly because of how Brunson looked after playing 12 straight minutes.
"Can he play 12 straight minutes? Yes. Can he play 36 to 38? Yes. But at the end of the day, it's going to impact him, in my opinion, come playoff time," Brown said. "So I have to be conscious of not going to the well too much, especially at this point in the season."
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Brunson was asked the same thing from the player's side, whether he would ever ask a coach to keep him in for a big night.
"Maybe," Brunson said.
Pressed on what total it would take, he did not rule it out.
"I mean, possibly, but it has to be the right moment, the right time," Brunson said. "I don't want to say no, because you never know when you're in the situation. I just want to respect the game as much as possible."
Brown also said he planned to give the team time off after the win.
"I didn't even know we played Cleveland next," he said. "I'm going to give them tomorrow off. We're going to practice the next day."
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Chasing history
Karl-Anthony Towns' 17 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday night against the Bulls marked his eighth consecutive double-double to start the 2026-27 season, It's the longest such Knicks streak since Charles Oakley's nine in a row to start the 1989-90 season, and Walt Bellamy holds the record with 13 to start the 1965-66 season. Willis Reed ranks second with 11 in 1970-71, and Towns' performance on Wednesday moved him past Zach Randolph (7) in 2007-08.
