“I don’t know what else you can do”: Tom Thibodeau sounds off on Jalen Brunson’s 61 points in losing effort

Following Jalen Brunson’s impressive 61-point performance on Friday night, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed his frustration as it went in vain during their 130-126 OT loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite shooting 53.2% on 46 attempts, including 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, Brunson did not receive the usual increase in free throw attempts that typically accompanies such a high-scoring outburst.

Despite this, Brunson only made six trips to the foul line, unlike the Knicks who had a 32-12 advantage in free throws over the Spurs. After the game, Thibodeau openly expressed his frustration with the discrepancy in free throws, which ultimately played a crucial role in determining the outcome.

“A foul’s a foul,”Thibodeau said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “That’s what I do know. What I’m hearing, I don’t really like. I don’t know what else you can do, what else you can say. It’s clear as day, it really is that simple.”

The Knicks made 58 attempts in the paint, while the Spurs only attempted 32 shots in the same area. The Spurs were more reliant on jump shots from a distance. Out of the 58 shots taken by the Knicks, Brunson made 24 of them from the free throw line or closer.

Despite some questionable no-calls, Brunson was still able to match his season average of 6.1 free throw attempts. In comparison, Victor Wembanyama, who scored 40 points, had 12 attempts, while Keldon Johnson, who came off the bench, had eight attempts. Together, they took a total of 30 shots but were awarded 20 free throws.

In addition, the Knicks took 110 shots compared to the Spurs’ 82, which added to Tom Thibodeau’s frustration with the difference in free throw attempts.

Jalen Brunson Joins Elite Club of Players with 50+ Points and Fewer than Six Free Throw Attempts

Jalen Brunson’s impressive 61-point performance will forever be remembered as a standout moment. It’s not often that a guard of his stature puts up such high scoring numbers, but what’s even more impressive is that he achieved this feat with minimal free throw attempts. This career-best showing marks just the fourth instance in which a player has scored 50 or more points while attempting six or fewer shots from the charity stripe.

Among the four players who had scoring streaks comparable to Brunson’s, James Harden, Ricky Barry and Steph Curry stand out. In 2019, Harden put up 55 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with only five free throw attempts, while Barry scored 64 points against the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974, also with just five free throw attempts.

Earlier this season, Curry scored 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks, with all of his points coming from six successful free throws.

Although Brunson’s 61-point performance was undoubtedly impressive, it is disappointing that it occurred during a loss against one of the league’s weakest teams.