After nearly a month-long absence, Jalen Brunson finally made his way back to the NBA courts, scoring 15 points and handing out six assists for the Knicks, who dominated a desperate Suns team with a 112-98 victory on Sunday night. It wasn’t his best game, but the point guard’s presence alone was impactful.
The New York superstar ended the night just 3-for-9 from the field, with some unusual missed jumpers. However, he hit a crucial three pointer with just two minutes to the final buzzer, proven he’s still the league leader in clutch points per minute.
“Could be better, could be worse. Definitely a lot of room for improvement on my end,” the player said in his return, later adding that it was his first time missing out on so many matches dealing with an injury.
The star guard competed in 34 minutes in his return, but it was his teammates Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby who did most of the dirty work. The Knicks wing scored a team-high 32 points, including 19 during the third quarter, when he shot 7 of 7 from the floor.
OG has been averaging almost 24 points per contest as Brunson recovered from his right ankle sprain. “I don’t want to say [my injury] was a silver lining, but whenever someone goes out, it’s a collective team effort, and everyone steps up,” Jalen said. “It gives everyone a chance to come together and get better.”
Just the New York guard’s mere presence was enough to create waves in Phoenix‘s defense, drawing fouls and attention as his teammates delivered. “Usually what happens when a player comes back is he needs to get a feel, and usually there’s a play or two where he’ll be tested a little bit.
“And then once he realizes he’s good, he takes off,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau shared postgame, as his squad earned their 50th victory of the campaign. “I thought in the second half, there was a different gear to him.”
