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Jalen Brunson Matches New York Knicks History In First Round of 2024 NBA Playoffs
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of the success this season for the New York Knicks can be attributed to their star point guard, Jalen Brunson. The Knicks did not back down from any opponent throughout the 2023-24 NBA regular season on his lead.

That swagger and confidence in themselves resulted in the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, as other teams tried losing games to get the best possible first-round matchup they could get. As a result of that, the Knicks ended up being matched up with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are not your normal No. 7 seed, led by reigning league MVP Joel Embiid and rising star guard, Tyrese Maxey.

It was a matchup other teams were afraid of, but the Knicks did not duck. They are battle-tested and got the job done against a very good 76ers team, eliminating them in six games with a 118-115 victory on Thursday night.

Leading the way for New York was none other than Jalen Brunson. Brunson had another monster performance, scoring 41 points with 10 assists and three rebounds. When New York needed him most, he stepped up and got the job done.

In the process, he made some franchise history. In the six games against the 76ers, Brunson scored 213 points. That ties him with Bernard King for the most points in a playoff series in Knicks history. King accomplished his feat in the 1984 NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons. 

King needed only five games to reach 213, as he averaged 42.6 points per game, scoring at least 36 in every contest. Jalen Brunson averaged “only” 35.5 points per game, needing a sixth to tie the mark King set 40 years ago.

While the scoring accolades are nice, both players will say that isn’t the most important thing that occurred. What mattered most was winning, as the Knicks advanced to the next round in the year King set the record and this year when Brunson tied it.

This article first appeared on Viral Sports News and was syndicated with permission.

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