New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson’s huge game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday put him in rarified air within the franchise’s all-time great pantheon.
Jalen Brunson ties Knicks scoring record on Sunday
Brunson scored 44 points to give the Knicks a decisive 140-106 win over the Bucks. That marked his 17th 40-point game in a Knicks jersey. Brunson tied Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony for the third-most 40-point games in franchise history with the onslaught (h/t Geoff Magliocchetti of New York Knicks on SI).
The Villanova product was a model of efficiency at home against Milwaukee. He earned his points on an efficient 16-26 shooting from the field and 5-10 shooting from three-point range while also finding a way to distribute to his teammates with six assists.
Brunson’s hot hand could catapult him to Knicks’ record
This marked Brunson’s second 40-point barrage of the campaign. His first was a 55-point masterclass in New York’s 136-132 triumph over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 28. Another 11 of those 17 notable performances came last season, where the New Jersey native earned All-NBA Second Team honors and finished No. 5 in league MVP voting. The other four came during his debut season with the Knicks in 2022-23.
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Joining “Melo” near the top of the franchise leaderboard is a special achievement. Anthony was perhaps the greatest pure scorer in Knicks history. Brunson has the chance to overtake the Knicks great for sole ownership of third place as soon as the team’s next matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night in the second game of their back-to-back set. He’ll need 14 more performances of such sort to tie current franchise record holders Patrick Ewing and Bernard King, who both reached or eclipsed the 40-point barrier 31 times with the Knicks.
