On Friday night, Jalen Brunson had a chance to end the game for the New York Knicks. With only six seconds left in the game and his side leading by one point, he was instructed to take the shot. Sadly, Brunson missed both of his free throw attempts before watching DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls make the game-winning buzzer-beater on the other end. The Bulls prevailed in a thrilling game, 118-117.
Knicks star Julius Randle commented on Brunson’s missed shots after the game. Unsurprisingly, Randle was not in the mood to criticize Brunson as he praised his fortitude:
Randle remarked, “You’ve got to cherish those moments.” “You have to truly cherish those kinds of situations because they help you discover your character as a person and as a player. If I’m right about what I think, he’ll return and be fantastic the next time.
“You got to cherish those moments. You have to really love those type of moments because you find out who you are as a person, who you are as a player. If I know what I know, he’ll come back next game and be great”
– Julius Randle on Jalen Brunson’s missed free throws pic.twitter.com/bliPqiPxc2
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 24, 2022
Fair enough, the Knicks would not have won even if Brunson had made both of his free throw attempts. But by missing them both, it seemed certain that they would lose the game.
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For Brunson, who had one of his least memorable performances as a Knick, it was a difficult time. The 6-foot-1 combo guard scored 12 points on just 5-of-15 shooting from the field.
The Bulls spoiled RJ Barrett’s 44-point outburst on the night as well as Randle’s 29 points and 12-rebound double-double as a result of his two late-game misses. For New York, that makes it two losses in a row. On Sunday, when they take on Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, they will want to return back to winning ways.
