Jalen Brunson received a standing ovation from the New York home crowd as he stepped onto the court alongside teammates Julius Randle and Obi Toppin.
Instead, the 25-year-old security guard wore a purple jersey with the word “Procity” spread across his chest. It didn’t happen in front of his fans, but he was warmly welcomed by hundreds of fans at The Swamp, an institution at Hostos Community College in the Bronx.
Branson, Randle and Toppin made cameos at the Nike Pro City Playoffs (the premier indoor basketball league based in the Big Apple) Monday night, giving hopeful Knicks fans a glimpse of what the future holds.
Minutes after the first whistle was blown, the trio made the first of many highlight reel plays of the night. While running points on fast break, Branson threw the ball behind his back to Randle. Randle stood defenseless a few feet behind the three-point line. His shot ricocheted harmlessly behind the rim, but was surrounded by high-flying Toppins who slammed the ball in and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Toppin continued to wreak havoc on the rim early in the contest en route to scoring 11 points in the first quarter. , picked up a loose ball in the middle of the court and landed his signature groin dunk, almost tearing the rim and ripping the entire roof. in the process.
Branson took over in the second quarter and scored three consecutive soft finishes at the rim to keep the team within three points, 35-38. His new Knicks chemistry with his teammates is hard to miss. Former Maverick threw Nolook behind his pass to Toppin, who finished the dish with a two-handed slam.
As the pair ran side by side just after the fast break break, Branson got up to try to dunk, but realized he wasn’t tall enough. rice field.
Randall also joined in the fun, deploying a stutter step move in the corner, breaking a defender’s ankle and easily dunking along the baseline.
The Knicks star went into halftime by one with the score 52-53. After a strong start to the second half featuring two deep threes by Randle and Branson, they took their first lead of the game at 60–59.
Tensions began to build in the final minutes of the third quarter after an opposing player finished in Randle’s face and succumbed to the Knicks’ big man. Some light push followed, to the delight of the fans in attendance, and play soon followed.
Not long after, Randle found himself in another predicament. Looking to block the opposing team’s point guard, he went up with the shooter but got a foul and landed hard on the court. After a few seconds on the ground, Randle was able to walk off on his own and stay in the game.
The Knicks starter played well throughout the contest, but ended up losing by a final score of 110-97. Toppin leads with 25 points, followed closely by Branson on 24 and Randle on 18.
After the game, Nike Pro City Director Bernard Bowen praised the Knicks’ trio for their outstanding performance.
“It’s a playoff vibe and New York City is bragging rights. The guys want to come out and put everything on the floor and put on a good show for the city,” said Bowen. “You have many children. [here] It’s great that people who don’t get the chance to go to a Knicks game are able to come and play in an atmosphere where kids can attend for free. ”
