Knicks' Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby expected back on Christmas, but team can't get pushed around
The Knicks' Josh Hart pushes the Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in the third quarter at Target Center on Dec. 23, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Credit: Getty Images/David Berding
MINNEAPOLIS — As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter at Target Center on Tuesday night, it was one celebration after another, and while the 18,978 in attendance cheered, the Timberwolves would stand on the edge of the court and pose, flexing their muscles after bullying their way past the Knicks.
It’s simple to say the Knicks entered this fight missing key pieces and maybe if Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby were on the court rather than resting back in New York it would have been different. And it’s hard to say the Knicks needed to fight harder on a night when Josh Hart got a flagrant foul for shoving Rudy Gobert — at least until you consider Hart was doing it from on the floor where he was after he’d been knocked to the ground by Gobert.
But when the game was over, the complaint the Knicks had was that they had been bullied by the Timberwolves, and rather than answer back, they moaned to the officials. It's something they will have to fix when they take the court Thursday for a Christmas Day game against the Cavaliers.
Brunson and Anunoby are expected back and Mikal Bridges might recreate the Christmas Day magic he did a year ago when he poured in 41 points against San Antonio. But before the holiday cheer, Brown wanted to get a message across.
“I talked to all of our vets,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said after the 115-104 loss was done. “The officials, they’re not gonna help you win the game. They’re human. They’re gonna make mistakes out there. And we, as a team, starting with me, we have to try to leave the referees alone, because we’re good enough to still go win games.”
It’s not an uncommon practice for the Knicks to bicker about what they feel are missed calls. Brown was gathering them for a film session on Christmas Eve and a highlight reel could be compiled for Karl-Anthony Towns and Hart that would be longer than a showing of Die Hard. And it was no different in this game. While Julius Randle stood and flexed the Knicks were pleading with the refs.
And maybe it boiled over when Hart finally felt he was shoved twice by Gobert and found himself on his back.
“We were battling for a rebound,” Hart said. “I felt like I got pushed and then the other one he kind of smacked down, hit the ball and then hit me. I wasn’t trying to hit his knee, I didn’t really make too much contact, obviously. Don’t wanna do anything around there, doesn’t help that he's 7-4. I’m trying to push him but his knee is kind of up there. Just out of frustration, I gotta be better. “
“I thought on that particular play — and I’ll go back and watch it — but I thought on that particular play, Josh got pushed,” Brown said. “Rudy had the ball but then he came down and pushed him. That’s why he was off balance. And when things like that happen, guys can get heated. Guys are competitive, and then usually something else results from that.
“I experienced that with the (Malice in the Palace) back in the day in Detroit. It started with a little foul that wasn’t called and it escalated. But like I said, the officials are human. They’re gonna miss stuff, and we have to do a better job, starting with all of our vets, to make sure that we’re a no-excuse team. And I believe if you really embrace that, starting with our vets, we’re gonna be fine, because we’re good enough to win a lot of ballgames.”
The Knicks are not built for war anymore. They had similar gripes with themselves earlier this season after Orlando shoved them around. But if they once were a team that seemed more suited for a rock fight than a showtime squad, they aren’t that anymore. Randle once flexed for them. Donte DiVincenzo was scrapping on their side.
Now, they are one of the most skilled starting fives in the NBA, and Brown has arrived this season pushing a style of pace and scoring — and it’s hard to argue with that since the Knicks check in at Christmas with a 20-9 record and an in-season NBA Cup title. But Brown, who spent six seasons as an assistant in Golden State, where he helped refine the system he’s preaching now, might like a little Draymond Green once in a while from his squad.
When it was over Tuesday, Brown didn’t sugarcoat it. When the highlights such as Towns’ 40 points or Tyler Kolek’s career-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds along with eight assists and three steals in his first career start were raised, Brown countered by explaining how they could have been better — Towns not fouling out with cheap fouls and Kolek handing the hard-nosed defense of Minnesota.
“I’m greedy, just like everyone in that locker room is,” Brown said. “We're all competitive and we know we could’ve done a better job. And we didn’t. Give Minnesota credit, and we learn from this and we move forward.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
