Video: Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Says He Played Like ‘Dog S–t’ in Loss to 76ers
Julia StumbaughMarch 11, 2024
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Jalen Brunson may have led the New York Knicks with 19 points on Sunday night, but the All-Star guard was not happy with his performance during a 79-72 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I played like dog s–t,” Brunson told reporters after shooting 6-for-22 in the loss. “That’s it.”
Knicks Videos @sny_knicks”I played like dog s**t. That’s it.”
– Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/JVaoQMGdEZ
Brunson added eight assists and three rebounds as the Knicks were held to the lowest points total recorded by any NBA team this season.
The outing was an outlier both for the Knicks, who were 21-12 at Madison Square Garden heading into Sunday, and Brunson, who had only been held below 20 points nine times in 58 prior starts.
“I’ve got to be better, as a player, as a leader, to make sure we’re all ready to go, and we weren’t tonight,” Brunson said, per SNY.
Josh Hart, who was held to nine points in the loss, had a similar postgame assessment of his own performance.
“We played like s–t,” Hart said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, turnovers were bad. I had six or seven myself.”
Knicks Videos @sny_knicks”We played like s**t”
Josh Hart on what went wrong tonight for the Knicks: pic.twitter.com/ylQSUSV0OB
Brunson led a roster thinned by the absences of starters OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and All-Star Julius Randle.
The 76ers were similarly missing starters, with Joel Embiid yet to return after undergoing knee surgery and Tyrese Maxey sidelined with a concussion.
The Knicks committed 17 turnovers to allow the shorthanded Philadelphia roster to maintain a steady lead through the final three quarters nonetheless.
The contest marked the first NBA game since January 2016 in which neither team scored 80 points, according to Basketball Reference.
Brunson, Hart and the Knicks will hope to bounce back from the low-scoring loss on Tuesday, when the two teams return to MSG for a rematch. The Sixers will head into the contest with a 2-0 season series lead.
