Luka Doncic who? Jalen Brunson made his sidelined backcourt proud on Monday after leading the Dallas Mavericks over the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of their first round skirmish in the NBA Playoffs.
Brunson picked the perfect time to score a career-high 41 points, as the Mavericks avoided a precarious 0-2 hole in the series with a 110-104 win. He shot an efficient 15-of-25 from the field, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and added eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
After the victory, in a report by ESPN, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he challenged Brunson to be aggressive right from the onset.
“He didn’t wait. He took up the space and was aggressive from the jump ball. We talked about it earlier. Don’t wait. Get to your spot and do what you do best. I thought he ran the team extremely well.”
The 25-year-old Brunson, who's enjoying a career season, heeded the call of Kidd. He made his first five shots, including three three-pointers, in the first six minutes to set the tone for the Mavericks, who drained a team postseason record of 22 three-pointers. Maxi Kleber accounted for eight of those, finishing with 25 points to backstop Brunson.
Brunson would need to keep his momentum going, with Doncic's return still unclear due to his calf injury. But Kidd said before Game 2 that the All-Star guard is progressing really well.
The Mavericks will visit the Jazz in Game 3 on Thursday and look to snap an 11-game losing streak in Salt Lake City.