New York Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116: Lucky Number Seven

The New York Knicks held on to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116. This makes their seventh win in a row as they approach a stretch against playoff opponents.

New York’s offense exploded out of the gate, with everyone hitting three pointers en route to a 42-point first quarter and a 14-point lead. But the offense sputtered after that, as the Pelicans began to fight their way back to a competitive game.

New York’s three-point defense was once again concerning. The Pelicans shot 44% from three, and their 15 threes kept the Knicks from ever building a comfortable lead. New Orleans got the lead down to one before the start of a competitive fourth quarter. But Jalen Brunson was the difference in the fourth, making clutch plays to help the Knicks cling to victory down the stretch.

The Knicks are playing good basketball, but there are flaws to iron out as the competition gets stiffer. Let’s check out the top performances from this win.

The Pelicans have a platoon of great defenders, but none could stop Jalen Brunson. The Captain ran amok, shooting 5/7 in the first half, then stepping up his aggression throughout the second half to secure victory.

Brunson finished the third quarter with a flurry of playmaking moments that led to teammates’ buckets. Then he dropped 15 in the fourth quarter, getting buckets or drawing fouls even when New Orleans sent double-teams.

It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a true Captain Clutch performance, but this was Him.

Karl-Anthony Towns got off to a slow start from the field, but got going for a strong second half. The Pelicans had athletic but undersized bigs, and it took time for KAT to break them down and establish his typical paint dominance.

Towns has been on a phenomenal run, and this performance fits the mold. New York’s one-two punch looks playoff-ready.

OG Anunoby started the night hot, with 18 points in the first half, thanks in large part to four three-pointers. He cooled off from the field in the second half, but still showed out as a defender.

Anunoby often clashed with Zion Williamson and put together impressive defensive moments against the tank of a star player. I’m not surprised OG lost the legs on his jumper after dealing with that matchup.

This still wasn’t Mikal Bridges’ peak, but I can see him taking strides in the right direction. He came out swinging with 11 points in the first half and continued his upward trend in playmaking for teammates.

But Bridges cooled off in the second half and had some trouble guarding Jeremiah Fears late. So, this still isn’t as good as Mikal can be, but he played strong basketball overall.

I love that Jordan Clarkson’s response to getting benched was to stay ready and step up when opportunity knocked. Clarkson started the night throwing lobs to Mitchell Robinson, creating second chances on the glass, and defending with enthusiasm.

Of course, Clarkson also added his scoring touch to the affair, with some late shot-clock magic. But JC’s playing inspired ball that involves much more than scoring.

Mitchell Robinson looked like he didn’t want to come out of this game. The big man chewed up the paint with dunks, putbacks, and rebounds throughout his minutes. He patrolled the paint defensively just as well for most of his time.

Mitch and Clarkson combined to give New York a boost whenever they hit the floor. The team had lulls tonight, but the bench vets helped it stave off New Orleans’ comeback attempts.

It hasn’t been perfect, but the Knicks have handled business during their soft stretch of schedule. They’ve pulled into a tie with the Celtics for the second seed, but they’re in for three consecutive tests next.

New York plays the Hornets, the Thunder, and the Rockets next. Those are three teams playing quality basketball. I’m hoping these tough opponents bring out the best in our contenders in orange and blue.

And I mean contenders! If they get their three-point defense under control, the Knicks can be elite on that end. They have plenty of scoring prowess and Jalen Brunson is among the best closers in the business. They’re built to step up when the playoffs roll around.

The tough stretch starts next, when Charlotte comes to town. We’ll see how they do and discuss it next time, Knicks’ fam!