Jalen Brunson would not let the New York Knicks continue their funk, which came to a head in an embarrassing 25-point loss on Friday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The superstar point guard dropped 44 points with six assists and five rebounds and overcame a third-quarter shoulder injury scare to lead the Knicks to a dominant 140-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden to slow down a snide that saw New York (26-14) drop four of its last five games.
His 44 points set a franchise record for the highest scoring output in a game where a player was on the floor in fewer than 30 minutes (he played just 29).
“I’m just going out there and playing, having fun,” Brunson told MSG after the game. “I have the confidence in my teammates and coaches, and they make everything possible.”
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his All-Star-caliber support, adding 30 points with 18 rebounds — the 33rd double-double of his debut season with the Knicks.
Brunson scored 23 of his points in the first quarter alone, which was necessary to carry a slim three-point lead after the opening 12 minutes. He went 7-of-11 from the field in what became a personal record for most points scored in a first quarter.
“Whatever it takes to win,” Brunson said. “I was just reading how things were being played. I got off to a hot start, and we kept it going from there.”
He sat for roughly half of the second quarter, but the Knicks managed to open up some breathing room to take a 13-point lead at 75-62 thanks to important contributions off the bench from Cameron Payne, who dropped 13 points with a trio of three-pointers in the frame. He finished the day with 18 points in just 14 minutes.
Brunson was limited to just four points in the second, which came in the final 36 seconds with a pair of mid-range jumpers.
The Knicks’ 75 points in the first half fell just one point shy of their season high. However, it was a considerable jump from the paltry 47 they posted in the first half on Friday against the Thunder.
Two minutes into the third quarter, the Knicks blew it open behind a 10-0 run that included five from Brunson and a 25-foot stepback three from Towns to make it 85-62.
New York’s big afternoon suddenly turned sour with 9:45 left in the third quarter when Brunson exited the game with that right shoulder injury after colliding with Milwaukee’s AJ Green while driving to the basket.
After kneeling on the court during Milwaukee’s ensuing possession, he immediately signaled to the Knicks’ bench that he had to go to the locker room.
While the Knicks had no issue keeping a healthy lead, anxieties were eased when he emerged from the locker room with 3:34 to go in the third.
He seemed just fine, too, upon his return by scoring 12 more points before getting a rest for the final six minutes of the game.
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