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The New York Knicks dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday to the San Antonio Spurs, 115-111. The Knicks now lead the series 2-1 over the Spurs.
The series will at least now head back to San Antonio for a Game 5, and while New York leads the series, they may have an unexpected problem on their hands.
After Game 3, Law Murray of The Athletic shared a stat that suggested that Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson has been somewhat of a liability for the team.
"Through 11 quarters of the NBA Finals, the Spurs are outscoring the Knicks by 14 points when Jalen Brunson has been on the floor," Murray wrote.
"Knicks outscoring Spurs by 24 points with Brunson off the floor."
Through 11 quarters of the NBA Finals, the Spurs are outscoring the Knicks by 14 points when Jalen Brunson has been on the floor
Knicks outscoring Spurs by 24 points with Brunson off the floor.
On top of that, Brunson has struggled mightily this series.
Jalen Brunson battling through tough NBA Finals matchup
The 29-year-old has as many turnovers (13) as he does assists (13). In addition, Brunson has a total of 82 points in the series on 81 shots. Thus far in the series, Brunson is shooting 37 percent from the field while averaging 27.3 points per game, 4.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 36.7 minutes of action.
The three-time All-Star has struggled mightily with his shooting efficiency; however, he's come up clutch in crucial situations. Nonetheless, there's no denying his struggles.
Prior to Game 3, Spurs' Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes were the only players in the series with lower Finals box plus-minus marks than Brunson. Even though Brunson has been great in the clutch, he's the only Knick in the rotation who's been a net negative against the Spurs.
The Spurs' defense is no joke. The guards have played physically against Brunson, which has been part of the reason for his struggles.
Although the Knicks are up in the series, they won't have any chance of winning unless Brunson turns it around in a big way.
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