Knicks' Jalen Brunson scores 47 points in win over Heat
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson dribbles the ball upcourt against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Not long before game time Sunday evening, Mike Brown sat in the bowels of Madison Square Garden and talked about his desire to cut down the minutes for the players he had pushed to secure the NBA Cup title.
Hours later, he sat in the same spot and said this was not the night to do that.
That meant 38 minutes for Jalen Brunson, 40 for Mikal Bridges and worry about rest another day.
On this night, there would be little time for rest. Brunson accepted the assignment, scoring 47 points — his highest total ever at Madison Square Garden — adding eight assists with no turnovers, and carrying the Knicks to a 132-125 win over the Miami Heat.
“You try to sit them as long as you can, but if you feel the game slipping, it’s my job to help us win in the best way possible,” Brown said afterward.
“It’s just a matter of I know we’re in a little bit of a funk right now. We’ve got to keep fighting and get out of, get our feet back underneath us.
“It’s me just throwing him out there thinking, ‘OK, we’ve got to go get this game.’ I tried to sit him as long as I can. Let’s go get this game.’’
Brunson averaged 38.7 minutes per game in the three games before the NBA Cup final and then logged 41 minutes in that game. It’s a number that does not count, but the wear and tear remains. Add to that 34 and 37 minutes in the two games before the Knicks faced the Heat.
Sunday would be no different. Brunson re-entered with 8:04 to play, the Knicks clinging to a seven-point lead and 30 minutes already in the books. If the Knicks needed saving, it was no surprise that it would be Brunson tonight and worry about rest tomorrow.
With 4:50 remaining and the Knicks up by six, OG Anunoby threw up an air ball on a three-point attempt, but Josh Hart saved it on the baseline. He flipped it to Brunson in the corner and he just beat the 24-second clock, hitting a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 120-111 lead.
Even when Brunson misfired, it worked out. He attempted a three-pointer with 1:34 left and the Knicks up seven and drew a flagrant foul on Norman Powell. It gave him three free throws and the Knicks the ball. He sank all three and the Knicks had the lead back to double-figures.
“I want to play,” Brunson said, sitting at his locker with his feet in an ice bucket and ice packs strapped to his knees. “But if Mike wants to do something, then obviously we’ll talk about it. I have the utmost faith and confidence in him. But obviously I want to play.”
With the wild celebrations and all of the debate about hanging an NBA Cup banner in the rafters at the Garden, you might think the Knicks had reached a peak to their season in Las Vegas last week.
But even while winning the Cup, the Knicks saw something missing. They were a step away from the rhythm and heights they were reaching before embarking on the in-season title chase. And maybe there is something to it; the team had won six of seven before the three games of the Cup disrupted the schedule.
At 20-8 after beating the Heat and in possession of a Cup title, it’s hard to imagine that something was wrong, but it’s what they felt. Still, what has been the common denominator through the highs and even through what the team might perceive as a struggle in recent days is that Brunson is always there to lift them up.
Like Friday’s loss to Philadelphia, Sunday night appeared to be a game in which the defense just wasn’t there and the cuts were a step slow. But Brunson carried them — along with Bridges, who had 14 of his 24 points in the second quarter — and provided the insurance even when the rest of the team joined in.
“You’re struggling a little bit offensively, you want to have an MVP of the league on your side,” Brown said. “For him to score 47, especially on 15 of 26, 6 of 13 from the three-point line, 11 of 11 from the free-throw line while dishing out eight assists, I have to mention it. But that’s what he’s capable of doing and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do on nights like tonight.”
Karl-Anthony Towns scored only two points. Anunoby did not score in the first half before recording 18 points in the second. But Brunson, to the sound of the “MVP!’’ chants from the crowd, made sure the Knicks survived the flaws.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
