The New York Knicks found themselves in a battle they probably weren't expecting to be in on Friday night against the lowly San Antonio Spurs. And even though Jalen Brunson poured in a career-high 61 points on the night, it wasn't enough to lead the Knicks to victory, as the Spurs pulled off a wild 130-126 upset in overtime to stun New York.
Brunson was on fire all night long in this one, and yet, his head coach Tom Thibodeau thinks he could have had an even bigger night if it weren't for the referees. After the game, Thibodeau lamented the lack of free throw attempts Brunson had, and he took a pretty open shot at the referees that could earn him a fine from the league.
Via Stefan Bondy:
“Thibodeau really frustrated again with the officiating, especially the noncalls on Brunson. ‘A foul is a foul. I don't know what else to say.'”
Jalen Brunson torched the Spurs in the paint, but rarely ended up at the line
Brunson was getting whatever looks he wanted in this game, but he got matched by an equally impressive game from Victor Wembanyama, who scored 40 points himself while also hauling in 20 rebounds. A potentially key difference in this game, though, was the free throw disparity, as the Spurs took 32 free throws, while the Knicks only had 12.
Six of those free throw attempts were from Brunson, but even then, Thibodeau felt like he should have gotten more trips to the line throughout the night. Further supporting his evidence is that 30 of Brunson's 61 points came in the paint, and at just 6'2, he has to absorb quite a bit of contact, especially against a lengthy Spurs team, to get to those spots.
Via Alan Hahn:
“Thibs frustration about Jalen Brunson’s lack of FTAs (6) is highlighted by the fact that, at 6’2”, 30 of his 61 points were scored in the paint. 30 points in the paint!”
Unfortunately for the Knicks, the referees didn't agree with Thibodeau, and it resulted in Brunson having to do most of his work without the help of a friendly whistle. On the other side, the Spurs got quite a bit of help from the refs, and you can make a case that this was what led to them coming out on top.
You can never truly blame the referees for the outcome of a game, but it's tough to ignore how few trips to the free throw line Brunson made in this game. Thibodeau may get fined for these comments, but if the referees start to give Brunson and the rest of the Knicks more free throws in future games, it would likely be a fine that he is more than willing to fork over to the league.
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