With Sunday’s 44-point performance, Jalen Brunson further etched his name into the Knicks record books.
Brunson now boasts 17 games with at least 40 points as a Knick, tying him with Carmelo Anthony for the third most in franchise history.
Patrick Ewing, who achieved the feat 30 times, and Bernard King, who did so 23 times, are the only players in Knicks history with more 40-point games.
“When you start getting mentioned in those categories, it’s a credit to him,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson. “He’s such a self-made guy, and his talent speaks for itself. You can’t do those things without great talent, but to also have the humility that he has. For him, he just wants to win.”
Sunday’s 140-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden marked Brunson’s 183rd game with the Knicks. Anthony played 412 games with the Knicks, while Ewing played 1,039 and King played 206.
Ewing was in attendance Sunday for Brunson’s latest 40-point explosion. It was Brunson’s second 40-point game of the season.
Brunson scored 23 points in the first quarter, beginning the game in attack mode as the Knicks sought to bounce back from a sobering 25-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Garden two days earlier.
It could have been an even bigger game for Brunson, had he not missed about six minutes in the third quarter after a collision left him with what Thibodeau described as a shoulder stinger.
Brunson scored 12 points after returning from the locker room and said after the game that he felt “great.”
“It was just important for us to go out there and play as best we can,” Brunson, 28, said. “The defense, the way we saw it, I was able to get into the paint and make plays.”
The Knicks had lost four of five games going into Sunday’s. Brunson shot 16-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and went 7-of-8 on free throws.
Brunson has often operated as a distributor this season, but the point guard has also taken over offensively when the Knicks need him to. He scored 19 points in the first quarter of a Dec. 6 win over the Charlotte Hornets and exploded for 55 points in an overtime victory at Washington on Dec. 28.
“If Jalen scores two points and we win, he’s as happy as if he scores 44 and we win,” Thibodeau said. “That’s the beauty of his game. He’ll adjust to whatever is needed.”
Ewing and King are both Hall of Famers, while Anthony, who ranks 10th in scoring in NBA history, is eligible for induction next year.
This is not the first time Brunson has found himself in elite company. Last year, Brunson became the fourth NBA player with four consecutive 40-point playoff performances, joining King, Michael Jordan and Jerry West.
Brunson is in his third season with the Knicks, whom he signed a four-year, $104 million contract with in 2022 after spending his first four NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.
Over the summer, the Knicks signed Brunson to a four-year, $156.5 million extension and named him the 36th captain in team history.
Brunson began Monday averaging 25.5 points and 7.5 assists per game, both of which led the Knicks, and appears poised for his second consecutive All-Star selection. In the latest All-Star update, Brunson ranked fourth among guards in fan voting.
“He’s going to be an All-Star,” teammate Josh Hart said after Sunday’s win. “I think he should be a starter. I think he should garner that level of respect.”