Jalen Brunson struggled over the first four games of the Knicks’ first round series with the Hawks.
The All-Star continued to get things done as a playmaker for New York’s offense, but he was missing some open looks he’s usually able to knock down with ease.
Heading into Thursday night’s crucial Game 5 matchup at the Garden, Brunson was shooting just 37 percent from the field since the first quarter of Game 1.
But the captain stepped up and delivered when the Knicks needed a win the most.
Brunson led all scorers with 39 points on an efficient 15-of-23 shooting from the field to help the Knicks regain control of the series with a massive Game 5 win.
It was the captain’s first 30-point showing this postseason and the 25th in his playoff career, which puts him in a tie with OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the league-high.
He also dished a game-high eight assists and turned the ball over just one time.
“Jalen was phenomenal,” Mike Brown said. “Just a big-time game from a big-time player.”
Of Brunson’s 39 points, 22 of them came in the second-half.
He made just two buckets coming out of halftime, then the rest of them came in the fourth quarter as he put any doubts about this one to rest for good.
Brunson knocked down all five shots he took in that final frame takeover, and he went on a stretch where he scored 12 consecutive Knicks points at one point.
“The ball went in, but I was just happy that we were able to keep the lead and play well with it,” he said. “They are a team that is capable of going on runs, as we know from earlier in the series, so I like how we played to keep the lead.”
Brunson finding his scoring touch while Karl-Anthony Towns continues dominating certainly bodes well for the Knicks as they look to close this series out in Game 6.
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