![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/new-york-knicks-guard-jalen-118005181.jpg\")
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against \\New Orleans Pelicans guard\/forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\nNEW ORLEANS \u2014 When the game is in the balance, the Knicks find a way.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s now a part of their identity \u2014 forged on the back of the Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson \u2014 and the Knicks pulled it off again in a 130-125 victory Monday that was sloppy, but another victory nonetheless.<\/p>\n
Brunson and Miles McBride carried New York down the stretch, combining for 11 of the team\u2019s 13 points in the final 2 \u00bd minutes. More specific to their clutch heroics \u2014 Brunson connected on two drives inside the last 66 seconds, and McBride closed the game from the line with four consecutive free throws.<\/p>\n
The struggling Pelicans (8-26) still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds while trailing by three, but Jordan Poole tried to draw a foul and jacked up a horrendous trey that barely touched the top of the backboard. No rim.<\/p>\n
The Knicks (23-9) won for the 15th time in their past 18 games, a stretch that includes the NBA Cup championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe find a way to win,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cI think we have a growing confidence as a team, not necessarily just in fourth quarters. We understand how we started [Monday] was unacceptable. And we got to figure out how to win a game from where we were. So we got a lot of confidence in each other. But we got to start better. And we got to play better honestly throughout the whole game. But we found a way to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against \\New Orleans Pelicans guard\/forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Brunson\u2019s heroics and Poole\u2019s blunder spoiled an exquisite night from Zion Williamson, who had 32 points in 29 minutes for New Orleans. But it\u2019s tough to win a close game against the Knicks, who operate with confidence, calmness and belief in the pressurized moments.<\/p>\n
Brunson only played six minutes in the fourth quarter and scored 10 of his team-high 28 points during that stretch. He also finished with 10 assists. OG Anunoby added 23 points.<\/p>\n
McBride, who returned from a nine-game absence because of a sprained ankle, scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He nailed pairs of foul shots to put the Knicks up by 3 with 16 seconds left, and up by five with 5.5 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, just my faith,\u201d McBride said of his mindset at the line. \u201cI prepare for these moments. And I trust God and preparation and just go out there and give it my best.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a moment of controversy with about four minutes remaining, when Karl-Anthony Towns and Yves Missi battled for a rebound and the ball bounced over the baseline. The refs ruled it out on the Pelicans, but a long delay in play \u2014 apparently due to a horn malfunction \u2014 allowed the Pelicans enough time to see the replay on the Jumbotron and challenge.<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pulls-defensive-rebound-new-orleans-118006405.jpg\")
New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) pulls down a defensive rebound against New Orleans Pelicans forward Kevon Looney, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. AP<\/p>\n
Knicks players and coaches were furious about the stall, but it didn\u2019t matter. The call was overturned on the challenge, Towns was assessed a foul and Pelicans were given the ball in a tie game.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, this happened in the same arena where last season the Pelicans were whistled for a delay of game against the Knicks because a ball boy started wiping a non-existent wet spot on the court. The reason last season was obvious \u2014 so that the home team could have more time to decide on whether to challenge.<\/p>\n
This time, the delay was an arena malfunction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know this rule, they said that because the horn all of the sudden didn\u2019t work that it was a stop in play and because it was a stop in play that doesn\u2019t count for the 30 seconds or whatever you get for challenging,\u201d coach Mike Brown said. \u201cThat horn malfunction happened at the right time for them.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s happening on and off the Garden court\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Suspicious?<\/p>\n
\u201cVery, very, very suspicious,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI hope I don\u2019t get fined for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the next possession, New Orleans\u2019 Trey Murphy III hit a 3-pointer. The momentum resided with the Pelicans until Brunson took control. As usual, the Knicks came up big when it mattered most, despite an effort littered with sloppiness.<\/p>\n
Defense was a problem all evening for the Knicks, who allowed 75 points in the opening half. Saddiq Bey dropped 26 by the break. Williamson jump-started his aggressiveness in the second quarter, attacking the paint and forcing Towns into foul trouble. Williamson had 18 points and five rebounds in the first half.<\/p>\n
The Knicks were terrible. And then, as usual, they owned crunch time. Give them a close enough game, and Brunson will carry them home.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have a guy. And when I\u2019m talking about a guy, I\u2019m talking about a league MVP and we have A GUY,\u201d Brown said. \u201cHe definitely makes the game easier for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW ORLEANS \u2014 When the game is in the balance, the Knicks find a way. It\u2019s now a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4777,21,9137,9,11,1104,10,6474,319],"class_list":{"0":"post-84323","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-jalen-brunson","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-knicks","14":"tag-new-york-news","15":"tag-og-anunoby","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}