The numbers jump off the page.
When Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride play together, the Knicks often thrive.
Entering Tuesday’s Game 5 clash against the Hawks at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks had a net rating of 29.5 points when Brunson and McBride were on the floor together this postseason.
That net rating was the highest among the top 12 two-man pairings with the most minutes played across the first four games of this first-round series.
The Knicks were excellent on both sides of the ball — with a 120.9 offensive rating and 91.5 defensive rating.
“Try to make his job as easy as possible, as well the rest of the teammates out there,” McBride said of playing with Brunson. “Anytime I’m on the floor, I try to make everybody’s lives easier, whether that’s on the defensive or offensive end. Just bringing whatever I have, whatever my talents are, whatever I see in the game, and do it.”
McBride had a rough start to the postseason, clearly still rusty after missing 28 games in the regular season following sports hernia surgery.
But he was much closer to his best in Games 3 and 4, recording 16 and 13 points, respectively, on a combined 8-for-16 shooting from 3-point range. His workload was also up, playing 31 and 23 minutes.
It’s notable because in both games, McBride was on the floor for most of the second half in place of the benched — and struggling — Mikal Bridges.
“He’s been playing great,” Brunson said of McBride. “To be able to use him in certain actions and play off-ball and obviously his shooting capability, the way he plays defense and everything, he does a lot for our team. So, I think regardless of who’s on the floor, he’s gonna do a lot of great things.”
McBride, as one of the quickest Knicks, has played a pivotal role in helping the team counter the Hawks’ pace.
And, more so than Bridges, he’s been able to take some of the creating burden off Brunson, who is facing constant double-teams and full-court pressure.
Though not a natural point guard, McBride — perhaps more than anyone else on the roster besides Brunson and Josh Hart — is capable of bringing the ball up the court, which allows Brunson to collect it in the half-court and avoid some wear and tear.
With Brunson and McBride on the floor, the Knicks are also having them set screens for each other in guard-guard actions, something the Hawks hurt the Knicks with earlier in the series.
“We’ve done it before and previous seasons, in the playoffs past,” McBride said. “It’s just whatever I see in the game, try to get in it and if it’s working, keep going back to it.”
Coach Mike Brown praised Brunson’s screen-setting ability to make that possible.
“The thing about him, he’s a great screen setter,” Brown said. “He has a really good change of pace where he slips and stuff like that which can cause confusion.”
Amid the constant chess match that goes on during a series, Brunson and McBride have been a winning move.
