Jalen Brunson's Nifty 50 Helps New York Knicks Burn Phoenix Suns
Jalen Brunson had fun vs. the Suns.
Brunson wrote another impactful chapter in the story of his New York Knicks career, as his brilliant second half was the deciding factor in a 139-122 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Friday night. The point guard's career-best evening in countless categories, headlined by a 50-point effort, allowed the Knicks (14-10) to get their five-game road trip back on track after Wednesday's embarrassing loss to Utah.
It was a historic night for Brunson on both the franchise, personal, and national levels: by hitting all nine of his three-point attempts, Brunson tied a single-game NBA record set by Ben Gordon (twice) and fellow New Yorker Latrell Sprewell. The nine triples were his most in a single game, as were his five steals. Brunson is also just the ninth Knicks to score at least 50 in one contest and the sixth to do so in a road game.
Brunson wasn't the only Knick to recover from Salt Laker City malaise: Julius Randle had 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while RJ Barrett had 21. Josh Hart was an astonishing plus-34 off the bench while Isaiah Hartenstein (8 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Immanuel Quickley (10 points, 5 rebounds) were at plus-29 and plus-28 respectively.
Friday proved costly for the Suns (13-12) in more ways than one, creating a dreary atmosphere on the night they inducted franchise legend Shawn Marion into their Ring of Honor. In just just second game collaborating with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal left the game early with a right ankle injury on a successful three-pointer attempt in the opening period.
Durant and Booker led the way for Phoenix with 29 and 28 points respectively while Jusuf Nurkic had a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double. With the win, the Knicks earned their first win over a team featuring Durant since April 2013 when he was with his original NBA employers in Oklahoma City.
There's no rest for the Knicks, who are forced into yet another back-to-back: a Los Angeles doubleheader awaits at Crypto.com Arena, beginning with a Saturday night showdown with the LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
