Jalen Brunson shot miserably from the field in the first two games of the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. That seems like ages ago.
The New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 97-92 in Game 4 of their opening round matchup. The win puts the Knicks up 3-1 in the series. They will have a chance to close out the series Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
Brunson, who has been hearing MVP chants all season long both at home and away, had a playoff franchise record performance for New York on Sunday.
Jalen Brunson Breaks Franchise Record in Game 4 Win
Most Points in a Single Playoff Game in Franchise History
In last season’s playoffs, Brunson took over some games offensively as the Knicks advanced to the second round. In the 2022 NBA playoffs, he stepped up in a huge way with the Dallas Mavericks while Luka Doncic was out injured.
Even after his previous postseason outings, the 27-year-old never scored quite like he did on Sunday. The 6-foot-2 point guard dropped 47 points. Not only is that his playoff career-high, it is the most ever scored by a Knicks player in a single playoff game.
JALEN BRUNSON TODAY:
47 PTS
10 AST
53% FGOne the single greatest performances in Knick playoff history.
🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/wRwariFhhi
— BrunsonMuse (@BrunsonMuse) April 28, 2024
Named an All-Star for the first time this season, Brunson played 44 minutes of the close win. He finished the game 18-34 from the field (2-8 from three) and 9-11 from the free throw line.
Brunson also dished out 10 assists, and the Knicks were +10 with him on the court.
Who Previously Held the Franchise Record?
Looking at the top playoff scoring performances by a Knicks player all-time, two names filled the leaderboard (prior to Sunday).
The franchise record before Brunson was held by Bernard King. Twice, he scored 46 points in a playoff game for New York, and they came in the same series. On April 19 and April 22, 1984, the 2013 Hall of Fame inductee put up those prolific playoff contests. He also had two 44-point outings and a 43-point game in the playoffs with the Knicks.
The franchise scoring leader, Patrick Ewing, also had some superb scoring games in the playoffs. In the 1990 NBA Playoffs, he finished with a 45 and 44-point outing.
In just his second season with the team, Brunson surpassed both of them.
Brunson has Done a Complete 180 From Games 1 and 2
It was the ultimate struggle for Jalen Brunson in Games 1 and 2 of the series. In those games, he combined to shoot just 16 of 55 (29.1%) and 2-12 from beyond the arc (16.7%). Despite the two very off performances from their star, New York won both games.
While the Knicks lost Game 3, Brunson looked much more comfortable on the offensive end. He made nearly half of his field goal tries (13-27) and scored 39 points.
Brunson took it to another level in Game 4. Now the Knicks need just one more win to advance to the second round for the second straight season. That would be the first time that New York has done so since the 1999 and 2000 NBA Playoffs.
