Jalen Brunson orange crushed one of Carmelo Anthony's statistical landmarks with the New York Knicks.
With a 42-point showing in Monday's 124-118 win over the Houston Rockets, Brunson secured his 18th game with at least 40 in his Knicks career. Brunson's tally took only 194 games to accomplish, as compared to 412 for Anthony, albeit in a different era.
The team announced that such a tally is good for third-best in franchise history, passing Carmelo Anthony in that regard. Only Patrick Ewing (30) and Bernard King (23) stand above him in the department and Brunson is just the seventh New Yorker to have at least four games with at least 40 in a season.
Brunson also recorded 40+ points for the 18th time as a Knick, which passes Carmelo Anthony for the third most in franchise history.
— NY Knicks PR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 4, 2025
Brunson paired Monday's scoring output with 10 assists, becoming just the sixth Knick to score at least 40 and dish out at least 10. That club also features Richie Guerin, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Bernard King, Stephon Marbury, and Trey Burke.
The point guard and Knicks captain saved the best for last on Monday, scoring 17 points on 5-of-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, which saw New York (33-17) erase an 11-point deficit en route to their sixth win over the last seven contests.
It was all in a day's work for Brunson, the newly-minted All-Star Game starter who was routinely serenaded with chants of "MVP" by an appreciative Madison Square Garden crowd as the Knicks' Monday victory became more assured.
"I’m just trusting what I do and not going outside of that," Brunson said, per John Flanigan of SNY. "I’m trusting my work and everything I do. The confidence my teammates have in me and the coaches, I’m just trying to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team win."
Brunson won't have to wait long to potentially add to his tally and deliver another win: the Knicks (33-17) are back in action on Tuesday when they face the Toronto Raptors in Ontario (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
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