Jalen Brunson on His Message to the Locker Room After 0-3 Start

On Sunday, the New York Knicks fell to the Orlando Magic at home 111-102, in a game where they were favored to win. The Magic had been dealing with injuries as news broke that star player Paolo Banchero would miss significant time with an ankle injury, and guard Anthony Black had yet to make his season debut. 

New York was looking to get a big win after a tough 0-2 start against Eastern Conference contenders, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, but it was another game that they could not finish in the fourth quarter. 

After the game, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson spoke to the media about what his message will be to his teammates following the slow start to the regular season. 

"Find whatever it takes to win, control what you can control... most importantly stick together," Brunson said. 

The Magic were able to pull away against the Knicks in the end, finishing the game on a 35-16 run. In each game of the season, the fourth quarter has been the downfall of New York, and now they have to find a way to regroup. 

Jalen Brunson finished Sunday's contest with 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, but costly turnovers in the end made the difference. Moving forward, this Knicks team has to find a way to be more cohesive. 

In the 2026 playoffs, this was a team that felt more connected than everyone else in the postseason, and if they can find that kind of spark and team chemistry, they could stack their wins this season. 

Shooting has also been a big struggle for New York. In this game, they shot just 9-of-38 from three-point range. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson shot a combined 1-of-14 from long range, a number this coaching staff does not want to see from their star players. 

The Orlando Magic were also a team that was off to a rough start and were without their best player. Going into this game, it felt like a game where the Knicks could find momentum and stack wins, but instead, it was a game that left this team disappointed. 

The Knicks' next game will be against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at home in what will be an interesting matchup, considering the Pistons are 3-0. If New York can pull out a win against the 2025-2026 first seed in the East, that could quickly change the narrative of their season.