What Record Did Jalen Brunson Break?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lance Roberson | Last updated Nov 26, 2024 6:07 PM ET

On a night in which OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points, leading the New York Knicks to an explosive 145- 118 victory over the Denver Nuggets, Jalen Brunson's career milestone represents his selflessness on and off the court—Monday night showcased the Knicks working at a high level, with the team's captain orchestrating the offense.

Brunson scored an efficient 23 points, converting 57 percent of his field goals and 80 percent from 3. However, for as sound of a scoring performance, despite Anunoby's 40 and Karl-Anthony Towns' 30, Brunson's career-high 17 assists epitomizes his team-driven focus.

Like Nikola Jokic, Brunson can score, but he'd make his teammates feel the fire from the bottom of the net instead. Due to necessity, Brunson scored over 40 points multiple times in the 2024 playoffs. However, with the overhauled roster Leon Rose built, Brunson doesn't need to push his scoring to its limit every night.

Moreover, five of Brunson's 17 assists contributed to Anunoby's career-high night.

In addition to setting a personal record, Brunson led the Knicks to a stat not cracked since 1991: Knicks Muse's research shows that New York recorded 45-plus assists with fewer than 10 turnovers.

The Knicks had only nine turnovers, which equals a 4.1 assists-to-turnover ratio.

Knicks part-time color commentator Jamal Crawford praised Brunson for the team captain's "selling."

“Jalen Brunson is one of the best sellers I have seen in this new generation. He sells the play, he sells the handoff, he is in total control of the offense," said Crawford.

Anunoby deserves the attention for such an explosive scoring night. However, Brunson out-dishing the three-time MVP Jokic makes for quite the feat. Brunson, leading the second-ranked offense over the Nuggets, could push the All-NBA guard into the MVP conversation.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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