The final weeks of the 2023-24 NBA regular season have been tumultuous for the New York Knicks. They are dealing with injuries to several key players, which has led to some mixed performances on the pitch.
For the most part, they’ve managed to stay afloat, playing around .500 basketball and remaining in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. One of the main reasons for this was the performance of point guard Jalen Brunson.
The NBA’s first All-Star put the team on his back with fellow All-Star Julius Randle and OG Anunoby missing significant time. Both players have missed 18 consecutive games, most recently appearing on January 27 against the Miami Heat.
Randle, who is recovering from a separated shoulder, remains out with no timetable to return to the field. Anunoby was able to return for three games, but had a flare-up with his elbow injury and was sidelined again.
The Knicks will once again rely on Brunson to carry the offensive load, and against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, he was once again up to the task. He scored 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting with five rebounds and seven assists to help the Knicks win 119-112 on the road.
In three games of this trip, Brunson has been on a tear scoring the ball. He scored 45 against the Portland Trail Blazers to start the game before scoring 42 of the team’s 98 points against the Sacramento Kings.
Consecutive 40+ point games placed him among some Knicks greats, becoming the first guard to accomplish that feat and only the fourth player overall. One player who previously accomplished the feat was Carmelo Anthony, who Brunson tied for another score Monday night.
Brunson has averaged 40.3 points per game in his last three outings. He is the first Knicks player to do it since Anthony did it. Information was provided by BrunsonMuse on X.