Knicks overcome absence of Brunson and the surprising loss of his backup to beat the Jazz

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks knew Jalen Brunson couldn't play. Then they were thrown a surprise when neither could the guy who was supposed to replace him.

Without their leading scorer and down to their third choice for a starting point guard, the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz 119-103 on Wednesday night for their ninth straight victory.

Brunson was ruled out about 40 minutes before the game because of right calf tightness. Deuce McBride was expected to start in his place.

However, McBride developed left hamstring tightness and was scratched just before the game.

“Probably like right before they called the lineups,” said Cam Payne, who was then told he would start. “Halfway thought they weren’t going to call my name. I thought they were going to call Deuce and I was going to have to run out there, honestly. That’s how close it was to the lineups.”

Payne finished with eight points and nine assists. To back him up, the Knicks used rookie Tyler Kolek for 12 minutes off the bench.

That made it a 52-minute day for Kolek, who logged 40 minutes in a G League game in the afternoon, finishing with 36 points and 11 assists in the Westchester Knicks’ overtime victory against Indiana. He had two points and four assists versus Utah.

Brunson scored a season-high 55 points in a win at Washington on Saturday, but then struggled to a 6-for-17 shooting performance two nights later in the rematch.

Brunson is the Knicks' leading scorer with 25.2 points per game. They relied heavily on him last season and had a hard time finding enough offense on nights when he struggled. But when he missed his first game of the season Wednesday, they got 12 assists from Josh Hart in his second straight triple-double and finished with 31 assists while shooting 55% from the field.

“It just shows a difference between last year and this year,” Hart said. “Last year, him out, not sure how that would have went.”

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New York Knicks' Josh Hart, right, drives past Utah Jazz's Svi Mykhailiuk during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) drives past Utah Jazz's Brice Sensabaugh (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Josh Hart (3) shoots over Utah Jazz's Brice Sensabaugh (28) and Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, left, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)