Jalen Brunson is on one tonight. The New York Knicks star is well aware of what's at stake for his team in Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs second-round matchup against the Miami Heat, and he made sure to step it up when his team needed him the most.
Brunson caught fire early on in this one, dropping 22 points in the opening half on 4-of-7 shooting from distance and 8-of-11 overall. He needed just two quarters of play to join Knicks icon Carmelo Anthony in another franchise record. Right now, Brunson and Anthony are the only two players to have scored at least 20 points in 11 straight postseason games (h/t ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter):
Jalen Brunson becomes the 2nd player in Knicks history to score 20+ points in 11 straight playoff games, joining Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13 (16 straight) pic.twitter.com/Bf9eohAuze
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 13, 2023
Jalen Brunson was absolutely TORCHING the Heat in the first half 🔥
22 points
8-of-11 FG
4-of-7 3PTpic.twitter.com/N9uPNZq1RV— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 13, 2023
Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest to ever do it in a Knicks uniform, and the fact that he's still five games ahead of Brunson for this franchise scoring record is a clear testament to this fact. For Brunson to even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Knicks legend has to be an honor for him.
The only downside of Jalen Brunson's scorching-hot first half was the fact that he was whistled for his third foul in the final minute of the second quarter. He will need to be careful from here on out because an early foul in the third period could be a major problem for both Brunson and the Knicks.
Thanks to his heroics, though, the Knicks entered halftime with just a one-point deficit as they look to keep their season alive in this do-or-die matchup.
Follow Us
Subscribe