The New York Knicks are in a slump. Their loss against a solid Spurs team was one thing, but to look this poor against a lowly Hornets team is another. New York entered this game hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing 15-point defeat against San Antonio against a Charlotte side they’ve already defeated twice this season. However, the Knicks had to come to terms with an embarrassing 17-point loss against the Hornets losing the game 115-98. Sure, they were playing back-to-backs, that too! on the road and were short-handed. But, this loss isn’t acceptable, to say the least.
Tim Thibodeau and his men were outplayed and outclassed in Thursday’s embarrassing defeat. They’ve now lost two consecutive games by a 15-point margin or more. This is certain to ring a few alarm bells in the Big Apple. Sure enough, that was the case. Knicks superstar Josh Hart pointed out his biggest concern after two devastating defeats. “Mental toughness. I think that’s my big concern right now. You know, we can make all the excuses in the world, but there are highs and lows in the season. And, you know, no one’s 82-0. But the way that we’re losing games is embarrassing.” Hart emphasized after the loss.
The defeat was certainly embarrassing as stated by Hart. That’s because despite being without their superstar point guard, Jalen Brunson, they had more than enough firepower on the court with the likes of Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, KAT, and Hart himself. New York simply lacked the effort on the court. The Knicks couldn’t win the second chance, the Hornets led the rebounding 52-38. Moreover, Josh Hart and Co. were not able to set up defensive traps and stop their opponents from scoring freely. Charlotte scored 48.9 percent of field goals including 46.9 percent from the deep. On the contrary, the Knicks could only score 25.6 percent from the three.
Josh Hart: “Mental toughness. That’s my big concern right now. We can make all the excuses in the world. There’s highs & lows in the season, no one’s 82-0, but the way we’re losing games is embarrassing. We have to find a way to right the ship. We gotta come out next game w more… pic.twitter.com/iGu1vF8mGA
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 21, 2025
The Knicks locker room appeared to be dejected after this loss and rightly so. With Josh Hart questioning the team’s “mental toughness” and labeling this defeat “embarrassing“, this might be the right time for the whole team to look in the mirror. Additionally, it seems quite apparent that the Knicks lack distribution and also a scoring threat that Brunson had to offer. With the regular season reaching its twilight and the playoffs just around the corner they’ve got to pick up their slack. For which, the Knicks faithful are hoping to see JB back on the court. Well, there might be some good news in that regard after a dreadful week.
New York Knicks drop a massive update on Jalen Brunson’s return
It has been a pretty tough week for the New York Knicks, to say the least. After suffering two consecutive embarrassing defeats the team has felt the effects of not having the 28-year-old in their lineup. It’s been about a couple of weeks since Brunson left the court after spraining his ankle in a loss against the LA Lakers. he suffered the injury in the dying minutes of the game in overtime while driving through the paint against LA’s Austin Reaves. Since then, the Knicks have struggled to find their footing even against the opposition they should be winning against.
Feb 3, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) goes to the basket as Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
However, finally, there might be some good news to cheer the New York faithful. This comes after ESPN reported that the Knicks are quite optimistic about Jalen Brunson returning to the hardwood before they finish their final stretch of regular-season games. “He’s doing light shooting and he’s out of the boot. So there’s steady progress and we’ll see where it goes from there.” Knicks HC Tim Thibodeau stated. This is great news for the Knicks! They hope to be firing on all cylinders before the playoffs.
Thibodeau also stated that he expects to see JB back in action before their final regular season game against the Nets on April 13th. The 28-year-old has been making steady progress and is focused on his return. It goes without saying that Brunson’s return would mean the world to New York as they look to aim for the championship. Well, his performances have been incredible. JB has been averaging 26.3 points and 7.4 assists this season, something the Knicks have missed massively. So, everyone in New York will take a sigh of relief as they await Brunson’s return to the court.
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