After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson showed love to Victor Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs took place in an overtime thriller against the New York Knicks on Friday night. Jalen Brunson poured in 61 points, leading the way for the Knicks, but it wasn’t enough to take down the greatness of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, as San Antonio earned their third victory in a row.
Wembanyama ended the game with 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block, completely dominating the game for the Spurs. There was nobody on the Knicks who could stop Wembanyama, despite the fact that both Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein were available and in the rotation. New York did their best, but it wasn’t enough.
After the game, Brunson had some extremely high praise for Wembanyama (H/t ESPN)
“He’s going to be one of the greatest players this game has seen,” Brunson said. “Just the way he’s built. What he’s been able to do so far. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Wembanyama is still a rookie, but he has a chance to develop into one of the game’s best players.
It was an unreal night for both Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama in the San Antonio Spurs’ amazing OT win over the New York Knicks on Friday.
But the basketball they used to do it? That now belongs to a fan.
Let’s start with Brunson — he went off for 61 points in the losing effort, which is just wild. Wemby, meanwhile, had a 40-point, 20-rebound, 7-assist game with a block and two steals, not to mention four threes. He’s the first rookie to go 4-20 since … Shaquille O’Neal in 1993!
And after the game was over, Wembanyama chucked the ball into the crowd and joked about it after, as you’ll see:
Wemby spoiled Jalen Brunson’s 61pt game then threw the game ball into the crowd 💀 pic.twitter.com/GzSY6Y2bH6
HoopsHype presents the most likely players to make their All-NBA debuts in the 2023-24 season, led by Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson.
Right now, there are 26 active NBA players who have been All-Stars in their careers but who have yet to make an All-NBA Team, which is arguably the league’s highest individual honor besides winning Most Valuable Player or Finals MVP.
That list features some huge names, including Zion Williamson, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, Brandon Ingram and Jalen Brunson.
Several of those players stand a good chance of making their All-NBA debuts in the 2023-24 season. Today, let’s explore the most likely candidates to achieve this milestone.
Jonathan Kuminga broke out the “too small” celebration against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks.
While Steph Curry stole the show with eight made 3-pointers on the way to 31 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Jonathan Kuminga continued his impressive stretch of games with another solid performance on Thursday night.
Trailing only Curry, Kuminga notched 25 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field with eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two assists in 30 minutes during Golden State’s 110-99 win in New York.
While Kuminga continues to compile highlight-reel dunks with his bounce and athleticism, the 21-year-old wing used his strength and size to get a tough bucket over All-Star guard Jalen Brunson on Thursday.
In the second quarter, Kuminga powered past Brunson for a bucket in the lane. Following his score, Kuminga broke out the “too small” celebration while jogging back down the court.
Kuminga has registered back-to-back games with 21 or more points for the Warriors, scoring 21 against the Washington Wizards and 25 against the New York Knicks in two straight road games.
Players came out to have fun and showcase their own unique style at the 73rd NBA All-Star Game.
The players came out to have fun and showcase their own unique style at the 73rd NBA All-Star Game. Athletes are starting to take advantage and recognize they can offer their fans more than just a one-dimensional version of themselves. They are so much more than athletes, with many of them taking an interest in fashion, charity and entrepreneurship.
All-Star games, game days and press events are all opportunities for fans and media alike to get to know these athletes on a deeper level. This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend did not disappoint, with players like Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat making a classic statement in his black suit with gold accents. And let’s not forget Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics in his hunter green jacket paired perfectly with his cream and rust knit sweater and classic black pants and boots and carrying a piece of Pyramide Bisten Damoflage hand luggage.
See the best looks from the 73rd NBA All-Star Game:
“Jalen [Brunson] just ran into my chest, and they called a foul,” Aaron Holiday says of Monday’s frantic closing sequence for the Rockets.
HOUSTON — Most fans who showed up to Monday’s matchup at Toyota Center between the Rockets and New York Knicks came to see an undersized, overachieving point guard put on a show. They witnessed that, but not from the player they expected.
New York’s Jalen Brunson has received widespread accolades from NBA analysts, including some who believe he has a shot of winning MVP this season. As such, many of the 16,790 fans in attendance were there to see him put on a show.
Yet, what they got was a star performance from Rockets reserve guard Aaron Holiday, whose energy off the bench helped Houston outduel New York in a 105-103 win.
“It was good to have a spark come in and get out in transition and make big shots, but also what he does on the defensive side of the ball, as well,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said of Holiday’s night.
Houston needed everything Holiday provided after blowing a 57-43 halftime lead during the third quarter. Its offense became predictable and stalled, which allowed New York to get back into the game. It held the Rockets to 17 points in the frame.
“It was good to have a spark come in and get out in transition and make big shots, but also what he does on the defensive side of the ball as well,” said Rockets head coach Ime Udoka about Aaron Holiday’s performance. #Rockets#Sarge#RocketsWirepic.twitter.com/zq1s32mGCT
Holding a 74-71 lead to begin the final period, Houston needed someone to help it regain control. That player was Holiday, who made a statement within 26 seconds.
Near half court, Holiday tipped a pass from rookie guard Amen Thompson to himself, gathered, and proceeded to drive the lane with force. Holiday went on to dunk over Bojan Bogdanovic and Josh Hart of the Knicks, with Brunson watching on the other end of the court.
After a play like that, the 6-foot-0 guard out of UCLA did what anyone of his stature would in that spot. He flexed for the crowd.
“I was just trying it to see what happens,” Holiday said postgame regarding his posterizing dunk.
That play seemed to get Holiday going while re-energizing the Rockets (24-29). In a span of just a few minutes, Holiday scored nine of Houston’s 11 points and assisted on the other two points, feeding teammate Jabari Smith Jr. for a dunk.
“That dunk was a big spark and energy boost,” Smith Jr. told Rockets Wire of Holiday, who scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. “Just his energy alone … gives us all energy. He does that a lot off the bench, and we needed it tonight, and that was really good for us.”
“I was just trying it to see what happens,” Holiday said about his posturizing dunk over New York Knicks players Bojan Bogdanovic and Josh Hart. *Listen to the end to hear what teammate Jalen Green added in to the answer* #Rockets#Sarge#RocketsWirepic.twitter.com/dkJsO8R9d5
Holiday’s fourth-quarter heroics were not done. In the closing stages, New York (33-21) climbed back into the game on the back of Brunson, who seemed to come to life in the second half after a disastrous first half (7 points).
With 8.3 seconds left, Brunson’s step-back jumper tied the game at 103. Houston called a timeout, looking to set up a play for either Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green to take the last shot to win the game.
As play resumed, Green was able to get the ball and drive to the basket before having his shot blocked by Precious Achiuwa. The deflection wound up in the hands of Holiday, who launched a desperation 3-point attempt over Brunson. After a controversial shooting foul call on the attempt, Holiday hit the first two free throws before intentionally missing the last one as time expired.
“I tried to get the ball and get a shot off,” Holiday said. “I saw him tip it, and it came close to me, so I just tried to get it and try and make a three. Jalen just ran into my chest, and they called a foul.”
After the game, crew chief Ed Malloy admitted the controversial foul called on Brunson was incorrect.
“After seeing it during the postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said in a “pool report” interview with The Athletic. “Therefore, the contact which occurred after the ball’s release is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”
The incorrect call robbed the fans of seeing Holiday and Brunson continue to battle in an extra period. Still, the Rockets will gladly take the win to snap what had been a four-game losing streak.
Good Morning, Winners! Thanks so much for rocking with TMW today. We appreciate you. I hope you’re having a fantastic week so far.
You’re having a much better week than Ed Malloy’s officiating crew last night.
I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but the officials in the Knicks-Rockets game essentially handed Houston a win. Aaron Holiday was rewarded with a phantom foul call on a late 3-point shot after Jalen Brunson gave a good closeout. He hits the free throws and the Knicks lose, to make a long story short.
“The contact which occurred after the release of the ball therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called,” Malloy told reporter Fred Katz, who got the pool report. But by then it was too late — the call was made and the game was over.
As our Prince Grimes writes here, it’s possible that the Knicks would’ve lost the game anyway. But that’s not the point here, he explains:
“Of course, it’s possible the Knicks would have still lost in overtime if no foul was called, but I’m sure they would have appreciated the opportunity to find out. Especially considering they came back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game.”
Making that call completely changed the outcome of the game right then and there. If the Knicks were to protest the loss, there’s likely nothing that would come from it. There’d still be another L on New York’s record and with how tight the standings are in the East, that could come back to haunt the team.
I’m not normally one to advocate for punishment in sports. It’s just sports at the end of the day. And, to be clear, officials are punished for making bad calls in the NBA at times. They get pulled off assignments and shifted around — but we rarely see it happen.
But this can’t just be a “my bad” situation — something should be done. Whether that’s the NBA suspending the crew or simply sitting the official who made the call down, I’m not sure. But something needs to be done.
It’s not going to take away from the Knicks’ loss here. But it’d at least ensure that there’d be some tightening up on the referee’s end from here on out.
I need the 49ers to learn how to lie. Because what’s happening right now is just embarrassing.
The team had no idea what the rules for overtime were in the playoffs. That’s embarrassing enough as is. We should probably just leave it there, right? Right? Wrong, apparently.
But now, Kyle Shanahan is telling people they chose to receive the coin toss because “we wanted the ball third.” THIRD? WHAT? EXCUSE ME? Charles Curtis has more here.
“The San Francisco 49ers head coach has addressed why he wanted his team to start overtime in the Super Bowl with the ball — his idea was, if they scored and the Kansas City Chiefs matched, the Niners would get the football in a sudden-death situation.
Now, that’s all fine and good in theory (if your team knows the new-ish playoff overtime rules, and some of his players admitted they didn’t). But the team that possess the ball second has some advantage — they know if they need a field goal to tie it back up or a touchdown to win. It’s four-down territory all the way, too, which means play calls can be more diverse.”
In theory, as Charles said, that makes sense. In practice? Whew, boy. The 49ers were cooked as soon as the game went into OT. That’s becoming abundantly clear. And that’s why folks are roasting Shanahan today.
It’s Victor Wembanyama’s world
(Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
The rest of us are just living in it. The Raptors found that out the hard way on Monday night.
Triple-doubles with blocks are always impressive. But the way Big Vic did it was so destructively thorough. It’s no wonder Scottie Barnes left the court early. I might never pick up a ball again after seeing that.
Get this. Wemby put up 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists. He’s one of eight players in league history to have a 25-10-10-5 stat line but also the only one to do it in less than 30 minutes.
LESS THAN 30 MINUTES, Y’ALL. What’s your favorite show right now? Chances are a full episode probably ended before Wemby was done annihilating the Raptors.
We should’ve known what time it was when he showed up to the game like this.
In a postgame pool report, Monday’s NBA crew chief now says the late call that decided the Rockets-Knicks game in favor of Houston was a mistake.
In a postgame “pool report” interview with Fred Katz of The Athletic, Monday’s officiating crew chief said the late call that decided the Rockets-Knicks game in favor of Houston was a mistake.
“After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” NBA official (and crew chief) Ed Malloy said late Monday. “The contact which occurred after the release of the ball therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt, and should not have been called.”
With the game tied at 103 in the closing seconds, official Jacyn Goble whistled New York’s Jalen Brunson for making contact with Houston’s Aaron Holiday on a shot attempt with 0.3 seconds left.
Holiday made two free throws to win the game for Houston (24-29), sending the Knicks (33-21) to a third straight loss.
“In live action, it was felt that the lower body contact was illegal contact,” Malloy said in his postgame remarks.
Malloy, however, now says the call was in error.
Whatever the case, there is no recourse available for New York to challenge the result. The Knicks did not have a replay challenge left, since they had used one unsuccessfully on an earlier play.
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Jalen Brunson was called for a foul on this play 👀
Aaron Holiday scored 11 clutch fourth-quarter points versus the Knicks, including the winning free throws with 0.3 seconds left, as Houston ended its losing streak.
HOUSTON — In their penultimate game before the NBA’s 2024 All-Star break, the Rockets (24-29) snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday’s dramatic 105-103 home win (box score) over the Knicks (33-21). Aaron Holiday, who scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, hit two tiebreaking free throws with 0.3 seconds left after a controversial foul was called on New York’s Jalen Brunson.
Both teams were short-handed, with the Knicks missing Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Isaiah Hartenstein due to injury while Houston was without Fred VanVleet, Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore.
Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points and 7 assists, though his tying jumper with 8.3 seconds left was offset by his foul of Holiday.
It was a balanced effort for the Rockets, who were led by the best 3-point shooting night of the season from Dillon Brooks.
In a game where the Rockets were out-rebounded by the larger Knicks, 51-39, the gritty defensive contributions by the likes of Holiday, Thompson, and Brooks were critical to Houston holding on.
Here’s our look at Monday’s highlights and postgame interviews, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for the Rockets is Wednesday’s game at Memphis (18-35), where tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central. That will be the final game before a hiatus of more than a week for the NBA’s 2024 All-Star Weekend.
Brunson, who just narrowly missed a spot in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference, made the team as a reserve. The guard is having an outstanding campaign for New York and he is currently leading them to one of the best records in the East.
After learning he was an All-Star, the two-time NCAA national champion scored 40 points en route to a victory against the Pacers. During his walk-off interview at Madison Square Garden, the 27-year-old guard was emotional.
Alan Hahn spoke to Brunson following the performance and it was hard for the former Villanova star to find the right words.
Brunson described the evening as “fun” as he looked into the crowd at the world-famous arena.
He was asked about the “MVP” chants coming from the fanbase and once again, Brunson was nearly speechless. He said he had nothing to say as the experience seemed to overwhelm him.
No matter how closely you follow sports, these are the kinds of surreal moments that give you goosebumps.
