One game before LeBron James’ annual visit to Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were reminded once again that Jalen Brunson is the superstar they’ve been looking for since James entered the NBA.
Brunson will aim to help the Knicks stay perfect on their five-game homestand when New York faces the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
The Knicks have been off since Wednesday, when Brunson joined an elite group of franchise legends by scoring 30 points and adding 15 assists in a 122-112 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers continued their six-game road trip Thursday, defeating the Washington Wizards 134-96.
Brunson’s historic performance added to his standout season as the Knicks’ captain in his third year with the team. Named an All-Star starter for the first time on Jan. 23, Brunson is averaging 25.9 points and a career-high 7.5 assists per game. The Knicks are on track to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season after only reaching it once in the nine seasons before Brunson’s arrival.
Brunson was particularly impressive on Wednesday, scoring 18 points in the third quarter as the Knicks took control, and adding seven assists in the fourth quarter as they pulled away. He became the fourth player in franchise history to record at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game, the first since Nate Robinson in 2009.
“He was just special,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. “‘Cap’ is special. Everyone knows. We needed him to score tonight, we needed him to do what he does best. And he did that. That’s why he’s special. Whenever his name is called in the biggest moment, he’s ready.”
No one has been as consistently ready as LeBron James, who turned 40 in December. Despite his age, he is averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in his 22nd NBA season, with nine triple-doubles. On Thursday, James played just over 26 minutes in the Lakers’ win over the Wizards, finishing with 24 points and 11 assists.
The Lakers led by 33 points at halftime and won by 38. This was their seventh win in the last nine games, and they were in fifth place in the Western Conference as of Friday.
“Don’t overlook the fact that, by the way, he’s 40 years old in Year 22 with every accolade under the sun and he comes out on a Thursday night in a non-nationally televised game against a team that’s really struggling and he’s the tone-setter,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick.
James has averaged 26.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 59 games against the Knicks.
