The New York Knicks picked up a 134-117 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, improving their season record to 42-25. The Knicks occupy the No. 3 seed in the East and now sit two games behind the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. This loss helped the Jazz worsen their record to 20-46, as they eye a top-eight 2026 NBA Draft pick to make sure they don’t lose their pick to the OKC Thunder.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 28 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and three steals, while OG Anunoby contributed 22 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Jordan Clarkson came off the bench for 27 points and five rebounds.
The Jazz were led by Brice Sensabaugh’s 29 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Ace Bailey had 21 points while second-year player Kyle Filipowski dropped 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the loss. Keyonte George would leave after 20 minutes with an injury, posting 14 points and five assists before being subbed off.
Let’s analyze the key takeaways from this matchup.
1. Knicks Win Out On The Margins
This game was an example of the Knicks’ status as a contender in the NBA, as they overcame early adversity to fight back on the road against a tricky Jazz squad. Even with their tanking recently, the Jazz are capable of giving opponents a strong fight if they’re motivated. The Golden State Warriors learned this the hard way in a shock loss to Utah on Monday, and the Knicks avoided learning this by grinding on the court.
New York won the rebounding battle (45-38), dished more assists (37-30), had more steals (10-7), and had fewer turnovers (10-15). In addition, they were the more efficient two-point shooting team, going 31-52 on two-point attempts compared to Utah’s 24-51. Although the Jazz shot 18-36 (50.0 3PT%) from three, their inadequacies on the margins proved too steep a hill to overcome tonight.
Knicks needing the margins to beat a 20-46 Jazz team could be considered concerning, but a win is a win.
2. Jazz’s Strong Shooting Almost Gave Them This Win
As mentioned, the Jazz shot 18-36 from three tonight, an even 50% clip from beyond the arc. That’s ridiculously efficient and explains why they dominated the first half of the game. Only two Jazz players shot below 50% individually, those being Elijah Harkless (1-4 3PT) and Isaiah Collier (1-3 3PT).
Every Jazz player who attempted a three tonight made that shot, showing that the team as a whole was dialed in. They went 9-11 in the first quarter from three, explaining why they took such a commanding lead early. Their 5-10 shooting in the second quarter helped them keep up the pace, but that dramatically fell off in the second half, going 4-15 on three-point attempts in the last 24 minutes.
If their shooting carried over to the second half, the Jazz might have unwittingly won this game as well. But going cold while the Knicks tidied up their play made this win too challenging to earn.
3. Jordan Clarkson’s Impact Off The Bench
The Knicks came into this game without key rotation player Josh Hart. Hart plays across positions and reinforces their defense, with the Knicks lacking a like-for-like replacement on the bench. Hart’s effort can only be replicated if the entire team locks in to do so, with everyone chipping in to cover up for his absence. This also led to Jordan Clarkson getting more than his usual rotational minutes, as he proceeded to destroy Utah’s defense.
Clarkson put up 27 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3PT, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, and three assists, ending the night as a +19. He was the architect of their fourth-quarter excellence, as Clarkson scored 13 points without missing a shot to help the Knicks outscore Utah 38-23 in the final 12 minutes of the win.
Clarkson will be an important tool when defenses toughen up in the Playoffs, as the 33-year-old veteran can go off for an impactful winning performance. That happened tonight, and the Knicks will hope it happens again.
4. Mikal Bridges’ In A Rut
A win is a win, but the Knicks did leave tonight with some concerns on their mind. Jalen Brunson’s defense got exposed tonight as he finished with a -3 net rating despite the Knicks winning big, but there is a much bigger concern at the moment. The team traded five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges in the 2024 offseason, and Bridges’ recent performances don’t come close to justifying that price tag for one of the best wing defenders in the NBA.
Bridges is averaging 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists this season. He’s averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over the last four games, becoming a non-factor on offense and not nearly as impactful as he’s expected to be on defense.
Bridges put up five points (2-9 FG), five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 27 minutes tonight. His rotational minutes were shortened to help the Knicks beat a lowly team like the Jazz, which doesn’t bode well for Bridges against top-tier opposition. Hopefully, this is just a bad spell and nothing bigger to worry about. If he can’t find the right track again, it’ll be impossible for the Knicks to be realistic championship contenders.
