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Jalen Brunson accomplishes Knicks feat not seen since 1984

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Julian Ojeda | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 12:07 PM ET

Jalen Brunson became the first New York Knicks player since Bernard King in 1984 to open a playoff series with three consecutive 30-point games, leading the Knicks to a 118–116 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of their first-round series Thursday night.

Brunson, recently named the 2025 Clutch Player of the Year, finished with 30 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and a block while shooting 9-for-20 from the field and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line. He previously scored 34 points in Game 1 and 37 in Game 2, which marked Detroit’s first playoff win since 2008.

Through three games, Brunson is averaging 33.7 points, eight assists, and four rebounds while shooting 44.6% from the field and 82.4% from the line on 11.3 attempts per game.

Jalen Brunson is the first Knick since Bernard King (1984) to start a playoff series with 3 straight 30+ point games

Brunson through the first three games vs. the Pistons:

Game 1 – 34 points
Game 2 – 37 points
Game 3 – 30 points pic.twitter.com/gzq9ghbd5O

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 25, 2025

Jalen Brunson leads while Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby deliver as Knicks survive Pistons rally to take 2-1 series lead

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 31 points, and OG Anunoby added 22. New York built a 13-point lead in the first half and held off a second-half surge from the Pistons, who were paced by 24 points each from Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr.

The game ended in controversy following a clock malfunction with 0.5 seconds remaining. After Brunson intentionally missed a free throw to prevent a final shot attempt, the clock failed to start when Detroit gained possession. Officials granted the Pistons a replay of the final possession, but they were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.

The win gave the Knicks a 2–1 series lead, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET in Detroit. The series will then shift back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Brunson’s scoring output and late-game execution continue to anchor New York’s postseason efforts, drawing comparisons to King’s iconic playoff run over four decades ago.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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