Jalen Brunson’s historic postseason shows no signs of slowing down.
The star guard posted 43 points, six assists and six rebounds in the Knicks’ 121-117 Game 1 win over the Pacers at Madison Square Garden to open the Eastern Conference semifinal round.
In doing so, he joined rare company:
- He’s the first player since Michael Jordan to score 40-plus points in four straight playoff games and the fourth overall, also joining the likes of Bernard King and Jerry West.
- He is the fifth player in NBA history to score 30-plus points with five-plus assists in five straight games, adding his name to a list that includes Oscar Robertson, Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
Not bad.
The 27-year-old has turned his game up several notches in the postseason, torching the 76ers in the first round to the tune of 35.5 points per game in the six-game series — an effort that saw him become the seventh player in league history to score 40-plus in three consecutive games, and the first since King in 1984.
He posted point totals of 47, 40 and 41 in the final games of the 76ers series.
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West, the Lakers Hall of Famer, holds the record with six straight games of 40-or-more points in the playoffs, accomplishing the feat during Los Angeles’ 1965 run.
This comes after Brunson finished fourth in the league with a 28.7 points-per-game average during the regular season.
His domination of Philadelphia likely helped earn him a Nike billboard at the corner of West 34th Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown, unveiled on Monday.
“Don’t sleep,” the billboard reads over a picture of Brunson from behind wearing his blue and orange No.11 jersey with one arm raised in the air.
Following a regular season that saw him ascend among the NBA’s elite, there weren’t many sleeping on him entering the postseason — and it’s hard to believe there will be anyone left when it’s all over.
