Knicks Bulletin: “He definitely does not look like an athlete.”

After four wins, the Knicks lost a game to the reigning champions Denver Nuggets in the final matchup played as part of their now-finished road trip through the West Coast.

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was too much to deal with for a tired and depleted New York team that will definitely welcome the upcoming two-game homestand through the weekend, starting with a Saturday matinee facing the Brooklyn Nets.

Here’s what the protagonists from yesterday’s affair (including Mitch and Randle!) had to say before and after the game.

Jalen Brunson

On the loss to Denver on Thursday...

“They just made a couple more plays than us tonight. I thought we played hard. We just didn’t get the job done.”

Tom Thibodeau

On Julius Randle’s rehab taking longer than expected...

“Control what you can control. Just keep working at it. You never know when it turns. That’s the way we have to approach it.”

Mitchell Robinson

On how his December injury happened and what he felt back then...

“It was crazy to me. I was fine (initially). Felt like a little discomfort. Next thing you know, went in the [locker room], everything came back clear. So I just got back out there. We had the medical team check it out (after the game when he suffered the injury). And I got the phone call.”

“I felt like I was finally getting in shape to the top of my career right there and the next thing you know... out indefinitely with a stress fracture. And frustrated. I’m like, ‘Man, I’m trying to figure out ways to stop it from happening, the best ways that I can’.”

“And it’s like one thing after one thing. I felt like I was finally getting in shape to the top of my career right there and the next thing you know.”

On whether or not he expects to return in time for the playoffs...

“Oh, for sure, that’s when it’s go time.”

On his potential new role playing off the bench as part of the second unit...

“Whatever helps the team, I’m down for whatever. (I can do) the same things I did with the first unit—offensive rebounds, screen setting, rolling, pressure on the rim. Same thing.”

On OG Anunoby’s skill set and the opportunity of playing for the first time with him on his side...

“He’s active. He’s not afraid to take a chance. He might miss one here or there but that’s alright. He’ll get most of them. I can make up for [the steals] when he doesn’t get it,”

On taking as much time as needed to get comfortable with his fitness and heal properly...

“I just simply wait for them to give me the okay. I don’t want to get out there and have it happen again.”

Josh Hart

On how to defend two-time MVP Nikola Jokic...

“Pray. He’s someone you can’t really speed up. He’s just one of those guys you can’t speed up. You play tough defense, he throws up some majestic 35-footer and somehow makes it. It’s just one of those guys where it’s tough to slow him down and influence him. Obviously, we just have to be physical and have great ball pressure on him. Then pray.”

“(Jokic) definitely does not look like an athlete. Just goes out there and goes for 26, 15 and 10 efficiently. Plays the game the right way. He’s not overly concerned with scoring or getting the assist or anything. He just plays the game the right way. It’s tough to play against a player like that. But as a basketball fan, you like being able to watch him.”

On the importance of keeping winning games no matter what other teams do...

“You want to get as high [in the standings] as you can. Obviously, [a top 3 seed] is in reach. But at the end of the day, Cleveland could lose every single game and it doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to take care of business. If they lose every single game and we lose every single game, you know. We can’t be overly concerned about that.”

“We’ve just got to make sure we play well, we put together wins, get healthy, and go into the playoffs as strong as we can.”

Deuce McBride

On getting ready to defend Jokic ahead of Thursday’s matchup...

“Obviously, he’s an MVP, special player, defending champ. So what he does is special. Obviously, we have a plan for him defensively, so we’re just going to try to execute that.”

Isaiah Hartenstein

On having Mitchell Robinson back soon...

“Yeah, it’s exciting—even just him for a human being. I know being out that long, it’s probably mentally not that easy. Just having him back, seeing him doing what he does, playing basketball. It was exciting from an on-court perspective and then just as a human being also, really excited seeing him back and doing his stuff.”

Julius Randle

On getting inspired by Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentally” when he decided to sign with the New York Knicks...

“For me, it was like, I had just been around a dude who would take on any challenge. It didn’t matter what it was.”

”I kind of felt like it was like that Kobe spirit Mamba Mentality in me, like man let me take on this challenge and see what happens.”

On what he wanted through the remainder of his career after signing with the Knicks...

“Why [did I come here]? Because everything that I envisioned coming to New York is happening now. I wanted to really establish myself. I obviously wanted to become an All-Star, but I wanted to win here. I felt like—and this ain’t a shot at nobody—it was always New York was looked at as a place that nobody wanted to [come to] because of the consistent poor record.”

On what he chased by getting to New York...

“Like it’s easy to play for the money and all that different type of stuff, but this [joining the Knicks] for me was all about legacy,” “And not how other people look at me, but if I’m done playing, how do I want to look back at my career? Did I challenge myself? Did I push myself?”

On his future and the Knicks’...

“And for me, everything that I wanted to envision happening is happening now. We still not there, but we on the way.”

Mike Malone (Denver Nuggets Head Coach)

On facing the Knicks for a second time after getting mauled back in January...

“When you get your [butt] kicked by a team, they have our full attention,” “We don’t want to get swept by anybody. Your competitive juices kick in. We remember what happened in the Garden and we want to use that to motivate us.”