One game before LeBron James made his annual visit to Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were reminded yet again that Jalen Brunson is finally the James-esque superstar they’ve been searching for since James entered the NBA.
Brunson will look to help the Knicks remain perfect on a five-game homestand Saturday night when New York hosts the Los Angeles Lakers in the first clash between the big-market giants this season.
The Knicks have been off since Wednesday night, when Brunson joined a select group of franchise icons by finishing with 30 points and 15 assists in a 122-112 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers continued a six-game road trip Thursday night by cruising past the Washington Wizards 134-96.
The historic double-double by Brunson provided another highlight in the latest superstar-caliber season for the point guard, who is in his third season as the Knicks’ de facto captain.
Brunson, who was named an All-Star starter for the first time on Jan. 23, is averaging 25.9 points and a career-high 7.5 assists per game for the Knicks, who are on pace to make the playoffs for the third straight season after reaching the postseason just once in the nine seasons prior to Brunson’s arrival.
Brunson was especially effective Wednesday when he scored 18 third-quarter points as the Knicks took the lead for good before he added seven assists as New York pulled away in the fourth. He became the fourth player in franchise history to finish with at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game and the first since Nate Robinson had 33 points and 15 assists on Feb. 11, 2009.
“He was just special,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “‘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.”
Nobody has been as ready for as long as James, who turned 40 in December but is averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists and has nine triple-doubles in his 22nd NBA season. Against the Wizards on Thursday, James, who has been playing through a chronic left foot injury, finished with 24 points and 11 assists while playing a season-low 26-plus minutes.
The Lakers led 78-45 at the half and were ahead 97-62 when James exited for good with 3:24 left in the third quarter. The win was the seventh in the last nine games for Los Angeles, which entered Friday in fifth place in the Western Conference and a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, currently the first team outside a guaranteed playoff spot.
“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 non-nationally televised game against a team that’s really struggling and he’s the tone-setter,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
James is averaging 26.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 59 games against the Knicks.
