Knicks Bulletin: “Feeling better, just not quite there yet.”

When you thought the New York Knicks were nothing but guaranteed to lose their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers last Sunday they invaded and conquered The Land by beating the Cavs.

And when you thought the Knicks were nothing but guaranteed to win on Tuesday, they fumbled their game against the Atlanta Hawks, 116-100. Yikes.

Here is everything that was said before and after yesterday’s affair, one in which Jalen Brunson was rested as he nurses a bruised knee with the three other starters still out and rehabbing.

Tom Thibodeau

On what went wrong against the Hawks on Tuesday...

“You’re in position to win, the rebounding was a problem. That was a bigger concern for me. Missed shots are a part of the game but your rebounding that’s important. It’s one of the few times we got outrebounded”

On not playing Precious Achiuwa during the fourth quarter against Atlanta...

“Just the way the game went. They were collapsing so we needed shooting on the floor.”

On Miles McBride’s breakout season and steady improvement...

“Just reading the game well. Usually, your turnovers are coming from either too much one-on-one or risky passes. He’s just letting the game come to him, he’s letting the game tell him what to do. And then we have a number of other guys that are making good plays as well. So I think they’ve created a lot of advantages for each other and they played off each other extremely well in the Cleveland game.”

On Jalen Brunson’s knee injury and how he plans to make up for his absence...

“It is a bruise and it’s a lot better than it was, but we just want to make sure he’s completely ready. He’s feeling better. Just not quite there yet. When he’s ready to go, he goes.”

“In the meantime, just like what we did the last game: Deuce [McBride] get in there, get the job done. We’ve got Alec [Burks]. So we’ve got more than enough.”

On the relief of knowing Brunson had dodged a serious injury...

“Yeah, and I think the same holds true for all... You don’t want to see any of your players get hurt. I know the commitment that our guys have made, the sacrifices they’ve made.”

“Obviously, you want to be at full strength, but injuries are part of the game and it’s ‘How quickly can we adapt as a team?’ That’s the challenge that we face.”

”As I mentioned the other night, it’s been that way all year. Mitch [Robinson] went out, Isaiah [Hartenstein] got in there, got it done; then Isaiah had limitations, Jericho [Sims] went and Precious [Achiuwa] came so whatever we have, get in there and get it done.”

On what Shake Milton will add to the Knicks...

“Size. Versatility. Can play both positions. He’s a guard. He’s been in the league for a while. I thought he had some really good stretches in Philadelphia. And we just like who he is.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On the Knicks attempting 52 three-point shots and missing a season-high 36 of them...

“It wasn’t the game plan. It’s just our offense of driving and kicking. When you look at the whole first half, we were getting good looks, everybody was getting open looks and they weren’t falling. When they started falling, everyone started to gain confidence and we made those runs. And the fourth quarter just kinda tailed off.”

On his performance against the Hawks shooting a poor 7-of-24 from the floor and 5-of-17 from three...

“At the start of the game, I don’t think I took a shot that wasn’t a normal shot for me. A couple of them toilet-bowled out and a couple of them felt good, but were in and out—everybody told me to keep shooting.”

Josh Hart

On navigating the schedule while missing as many as four starters nightly...

“The margin for error is small with all the guys we have out. We just put all the guys we have out there. We can’t have those slow starts and expend so much energy trying to get back into the game. And then having that fourth [quarter]. We just gotta find a way.”

Deuce McBride

On staying ready for whenever his name gets called up...

“You have to stick to your routine.”

On getting a lot of calls after leading the Knicks to an upset against the Cavaliers on Sunday...

“Yeah, definitely, especially when you’re on ESPN, national TV. People are always going to reach out when you’re playing well. They were definitely texting me about that one.”

On playing 47 minutes at Cleveland entering the game off the bench...

“That was a lot of trust coach put in me and I just wanted to give it my all. I feel fine honestly. That’s what I put in the offseason work for. I prepare my body for this. You never know what’s going to happen. JB should be fine hopefully, but got to be ready for anything.”

On what missing Jalen Brunson means for the team and its impact on the squad...

“Honestly, I mean, obviously he’s an all-star player so of course it’s going to feel different. You can’t think about it like that. You can’t go into a game thinking man down. You’ve got to go in thinking we’ve got everything we need.”