Shoutout to Rick Brunson. Who else noticed this?
On the first possession of the third quarter, CJ McCollum was hit with a technical for kicking Brunson in his twig and berries. (After the game, McCollum claimed JB was acting ”on Broadway,” which was bizarre considering he clearly hit Brunson in a very sensitive area.)
After the refs announce that NY will be awarded a free throw, Rick heads over to Jalen. It’s unclear whether he asked Jalen if he felt physically fine, or whether the veteran NY assistant coach simply realized that KAT could benefit from seeing a shot drop. (As a reminder, Towns struggled in the first half, shooting just 1-of-6 from the floor in the first.)
JB nods approvingly.
Towns steps to the stripe and knocks down the free throw.
A minute later, KAT drills a three-pointer from the corner (off a Brunson assist) and is off to the races.
Towns finished the second half with 19 points (5-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-3 from downtown and 6-of-6 from the FT line).
The New York Knicks will not raise an NBA Cup championship banner at Madison Square Garden, sources tell ESPN. The Lakers and Bucks raised banners for NBA Cup titles over the last two years. Knicks will celebrate with home fans Friday.