On Saturday, the New York Knicks host the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden, and Jalen Brunson at the moment has no extra emotions ahead of the matchup against his former team.
“It’s going to be a battle,” said the fifth-year guard during a shootaround. During the offseason, while on “The Old Man And the Three” podcast with J.J. Redick, explained why he signed with the Knicks.
Based on a few NBA betting sites, the Knicks possess the ninth-lowest odds to win the championship in 2023. Despite low title odds, some sportsbooks are counting on a playoff appearance this season.
Jalen Brunson says he has no extra emotions heading into tomorrow’s game against his former team. “It’s going to be a battle,” he said. Said approach does not change.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 2, 2022
“Business came knocking on the door,” Brunson told Redick. “It was time to just at least look. I had to do my due diligence and look and see what was out there.
“People might not believe it. I talked about it with my dad since year one or two, said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to be here for the rest of my career.’ That’s what I thought.”
Not only was it about the money, but Brunson also wanted to play for Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, his father. Based on his performances so far this season, he made the right choice.
Through 22 starts this season, the former Mavericks guard is averaging career highs of 21.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.1 steals. In addition to logging 3.5 rebounds per game, Brunson is shooting 48.6% from the floor and 32.3% outside the arc.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson believes “it’s going to be a battle” against the Mavericks at Madison Square Garden
Last season with Dallas, the Villanova product recorded then career highs of 16.3 points and 4.8 assists in 79 appearances. The Luka Doncic-Brunson duo was lethal. With the two guards healthy, the Mavericks advanced to the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
Furthemore, in the Knicks’ 109-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, Brunson finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block.
After the first possession of the game, the Knicks star left the court limping. He went to the locker room to have his leg examined. As luck would have it, Brunson then returned to the court six minutes later.
Although the Knicks outscored Milwaukee 64-56 in the paint, the team shot a disappointing 6-of-30 (20%) from three-point range. They also committed 20 fouls.
“I thought we got some good shots we didn’t make,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the loss. “But I liked the way we competed. I thought we did a lot of good things.”
Entering Saturday’s game, both teams are underperforming at the moment. The Knicks are 10-12 and rank 11th overall in the Eastern Conference, whereas the Mavs sit 11th in the West at 10-11.
Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Dallas has a 55.5% chance of beating the Knicks. A number of sportsbooks show the Mavericks as a 1.5-point favorite on the road.
