Jan 03, 2026
3 min read
The Knicks came out better than pancakes for their first game in 2026 and turned in one of the worst performances of the season.
This was no way to start the new year.
The Knicks were luckier than Pancake for their first game of 2026 and produced one of their worst performances of the season.
As for what would be the final hold of the first half, Jalen Brunson, who was not under pressure from the defense, was too slow to get the ball up to the pitch and was called up for an eight-second offense.The lack of focus on unforced error was the perfect cover for their thrilling performance as the Knicks fell 111-99 to the Hawks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
"Lie, we don't have tonight," Brunson."I have a good coach, but we also have speed, so we have a quick recovery.
They were weak, with a big hole at center without Karl-Anthony Towns (illness) and Mitchell Robinson (load management).And they were still without Josh Hart (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder).It certainly showed.
They tried to score 24 points after three quarters, but I actually heard some misses.
The Knicks, who are coming off a three-game winning streak, have lost two in a row before a tough matchup with the 76ers in town on Saturday.And they're just 5-4 since winning the NBA Cup.
It was the first time they had lost two in a row after dropping three games in a row in late October.
They showed more life in the fourth quarter - they started the quarter on an 11-0 run that cut their deficit to 13 and gave the MSG crowd some juice.But two consecutive 3s by Luke Kennard restored the Hawks' 19-point lead.The Knicks cut the lead to 11 with under 4 minutes left, 1:29 left, but never got any closer.
"By then it was too late," Brunson said."We had to have a sense of urgency throughout the game. We just couldn't take it to that level."
Coach Mike Brown has repeatedly criticized the Knicks' defense in recent games, and once again it was too late.
"The shots aren't falling, where else are we going to hang our hat? And on the defensive end, that has to happen and we didn't have that for most of the game tonight," Brown said."And that's why we lost at the end of the day."
But lately, the Knicks have sometimes saved their poor defense with a strong offense.On Friday, they were brutal on both sides of the ball.
Brunson finished with 24, but got little help from healthy stars OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges until it was too late.Anunoby scored 19 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter when the Knicks were already in a deep deficit, and Bridges scored 18 - 12 points in the fourth quarter.
As a team, the Knicks shot just 36 percent from the field and about 20 percent from three.This was their worst shooting from deep this season and it affected their effort.
They allowed the Hawks to shoot 48 percent from the field, led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu, who scored 23 points apiece.
“I think it's just a lack of energy on defense,” Bridges said."I know we didn't make a shot, but that doesn't give us an excuse not to play defense and come back. We can't let missed shots affect us on the other end."
All of the Knicks' absences forced Brown to dig deeper into his bench once again.But this extended bench was in trouble.
Jordan Clarkson was a non-factor.Tyler Kolek hasn't been able to impact the game as much as he has recently.Kevin McCuller Jr., who entered the rotation in Hart's absence, took a step back and went scoreless.Mohamed Diwara was inaccurate as he missed all three shots.Pacôme Dadiet and Trey Jamison III saw the court briefly.
Ariel Hukporti and Guerschon Yabusele are the only members of the bench who mostly hold their own.
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"It doesn't matter how many men are in the body or who is in the body," Brown said."We have to play the game right. Sometimes if you do it right, you lose and you're good."
That was not the case on Friday night.
The Knicks flew through a few weeks, winning 11 of 12 games, including the NBA Cup Finals.But suddenly they started to stumble.
They have the ability to respond immediately
