NEW YORK — The New York Knicks were already aware that star player Jalen Brunson would not be participating in the game. However, they were caught off guard when their backup option also became unavailable, leading to an unexpected shakeup in their lineup.

In a remarkable turn of events, the Knicks managed to secure a victory over the Utah Jazz with a score of 119-103, marking their ninth consecutive win despite being without their top scorer and having to rely on their third choice for the starting point guard position. Brunson was ruled out just 40 minutes prior to tip-off due to issues with calf tightness, and Deuce McBride was anticipated as his replacement.

Just before the game commenced, however, McBride suffered left hamstring tightness and was unable to play, propelling Cam Payne into the starting role. “It was probably right before they called the lineups,” Payne reflected. “I had a moment where I thought they wouldn’t call my name and I’d be scrambling to get out there instead of Deuce.” Despite the unexpected circumstances, Payne managed to contribute eight points and nine assists during the game.

To support him, the Knicks brought rookie Tyler Kolek off the bench for 12 minutes of gameplay. Notably, this was quite a busy day for Kolek, who had logged 40 minutes in a G League game earlier that afternoon, where he scored 36 points and recorded 11 assists for the Westchester Knicks in an overtime win against Indiana. He added two points and four assists to the team’s efforts against Utah.

Brunson had an outstanding game earlier in the week, scoring a season-high 55 points in a victory against Washington, but his performance in the subsequent rematch was less impressive, going 6-for-17 from the field. Currently, he leads the team with an average of 25.2 points per game. Last season, the Knicks heavily depended on his scoring ability and often found themselves struggling offensively during his off nights. However, in his absence on Wednesday, Josh Hart stepped up with 12 assists, marking his second consecutive triple-double, while the team as a whole recorded 31 assists and shot 55% from the field.

“It just highlights the contrast between this year and last year,” Hart commented. “Last year, if he were out, we would have been uncertain about how things would have panned out.”