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Jalen Brunson Bound for Three-Point Contest?

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jonah Morgan | Last updated Dec 17, 2023 6:43 PM ET

In the New York Knicks' Friday win against the Phoenix Suns, Jalen Brunson posted not only one of the best games of his career but one of the most dominant single-game shooting performances in NBA history.

In the 139-122 win, Brunson finished with a career-high 50 points and shot 17-of-23 from the field. That latter mark included a perfect 9-of-9 mark from three-point range, hitting the most threes without a miss in NBA history (tying a record held by Ben Gordon and fellow Knick Latrell Sprewell).

Brunson is shooting his best from three-point range this season, currently at just under 46 percent (eighth amongst qualified shooters). Even more impressively, he's putting up over six attempts a game and Friday's win marked the fifth time he's hit at least six this year.

Numbers like those are hard to ignore, so it might be time to get the star guard into the NBA Three-Point Contest.

The Knicks had some representation in last year's Three-Point Contest, as Julius Randle was a last-minute addition in place of Portland's Anfernee Simmons. Randle failed to get out of the first round but Brunson's work in the early going hints at a realistic shot at becoming the first Knicks to win the competition. Previous Knicks stars to partake include Charlie Ward and Channing Frye.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will return the conference-vs.-conference format on Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. In the meantime, New York (14-11) completes a Los Angeles doubleheader on Monday night against the Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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