Knicks' defense taking too many breaks over 48
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against the New York Knicks in the first half at Frost Bank Center on December 31, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Ronald Cortes
The Knicks have gone on a nightly campaign, following up games with a reminder that Jalen Brunson is worthy of consideration for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, frequently after his late-game heroics bailed them out.
But what Brunson’s efforts may have hidden are warning signs that Mike Brown voiced alongside the praise on Wednesday. Relying on the shot-making of Brunson and the other offensive talents the Knicks have assembled is not enough.
The winning — a 23-10 record as the Knicks return home from a three-game road trip for a back-to-back set before heading to Detroit to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons — has covered up the flaws. But they are there.
The Knicks rank third in offensive rating in the NBA and fourth in net rating but are 16th in defensive rating. And with Josh Hart (ankle) out for the last three games and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) missing the last two, that has been magnified.
The Knicks rank 29th in the NBA in defensive rating over the last four games but won the first three against Cleveland, Atlanta and New Orleans.
But in their 134-132 loss to San Antonio on Wednesday night, they saw it fall apart as one frustrating defensive lapse after another let the game get away.
After scoring 45 points in the first quarter, the Knicks led by 19 in the second quarter and 11 with eight minutes remaining. Julian Champagnie then hit four of his 11 three-pointers to spark a 41-point fourth quarter for the Spurs.
“I think we do that throughout the course of the game,” Brown said. “I think we at times just think, you know what, we’re good, we’re going to end up outscoring them. That’s not the mentality to have. There has to be a sense of urgency for 48 minutes in trying to do the right thing.
“We can score. We can score with the best of them. We have Jalen, who is the league MVP or in the discussion for league MVP, at a very high level; three or four other All-Stars when you talk about OG and [Karl-Anthony Towns] and Mikal Bridges], maybe even Josh. We’ve got guys who can shoot the ball, who can go make plays. So offensively — I didn’t think we played great offensively — but we scored 132 points against a really good defensive team.
“I just hope that sooner than later our guys collectively want to sustain the right way to play on the defensive end of the floor, because we’ll figure it out offensively as the game goes along. But when you play the way we play defensively, which is in spurts, you’re going to keep giving a team hope. And when you give a team hope in this league, they’re too talented, especially a good team.”
“It’s great when you win and you can still fix things,” Deuce McBride said. “But a loss always sets you back to reality. It definitely did for us.”
Part of the struggles can be attributed to injuries with Hart and Robinson out, Landry Shamet still sidelined with a shoulder injury and McBride just back after missing nine games with a sprained ankle. Those players might make up for some of the defensive flaws and the reality that even with Anunoby and Bridges, who are elite defensive wings, Towns, Brunson and Jordan Clarkson are scorers who can’t afford to be on the bench but also don’t serve as defensive stoppers.
But Brown is convinced that the Knicks can defend at a higher level as long as they stop relying on the offense to bail them out. The Knicks gave up 70 points in the second half to the Hawks to start this trip, then 75 in the first half to the last-place Pelicans. First-quarter defense has put them in a hole recently. Consistency of performance or effort has been the struggle.
“First of all, it’s our physicality,” Brown said. “We haven’t figured out how to be physical for 48 minutes in the last I don’t know how many games. But doing it without fouling. We pick up some silly fouls that we have to do a better job of. I feel everybody understands that. But now we just have to go do it.
“And we just haven’t been able to — I don’t know if we’re tired or what, but we haven’t been able to sustain anything defensively for 48 minutes. And we’ve won a lot of games, and you want to win games and you feel good about it. But at the end of the day, if we don’t figure out how to sustain what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end of the floor for 48 minutes, it’s going to be a long year for us and it’s going to eventually catch up with us.”
It did in the New Year’s Eve loss. And maybe that’s the lesson that serves as a wake-up call.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
