For the second time in two months, the New York Knicks 1-2 punch Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle fell short of winning the NBA Player of the Week award.
In both times, the award went to Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers star and the Knicks’ trade target last summer. Mitchell first beat the Knicks duo in Week 9 (games played from Dec. 12-18, 2022).
The sixth-year guard led the Cavaliers to a 3-1 record while averaging an Eastern Conference-best 37.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 38.7 minutes.
Over the same span, Brunson and Randle powered the Knicks to a perfect 3-0 week, part of their current five-game winning streak.