Jalen Brunson has the fourth-best scoring average in the clutch this season. He showed that off again in a comeback win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
Brunson scored 17 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks put up 46 points in the final period. They came back from an 11-point deficit against the NBA’s No. 4 defense, largely thanks to the efforts of their All-Star point guard.
He shot 5-for-6 in the final quarter, made all six of his free throws and delivered two assists, all while turning the ball over only a single time. He not only lit up a very good Rockets defense, he greatly outplayed the opposing Jalen, a very important key to winning in the modern NBA.
Jalen Green scored 21 points in the game but shot 2-for-7 in the fourth. Despite a few spectacular plays, Green simply could not keep up with the Alpha Jalen on the other side.
Amen Thompson had another huge game, putting up a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. But he went cold in the fourth, shooting 1-for-5 with two turnovers, though he did have four assists.
At a crucial moment, after Brunson turned the ball over with under 40 seconds left and the Knicks leading by two, Brunson stole the ball from Thompson and then hit two free throws to seal it.
It was a chaotic final quarter with two of the NBA’s best teams. But Brunson and the Knicks were a little cooler under pressure when the game got wild. With under five minutes left, Karl-Anthony Towns blocked Green, then outfought the Rockets for the loose ball to create a fast-break bucket for Josh Hart.
Who delivered the key assist? Jalen Brunson, of course, the biggest reason the Knicks are 33-17.
