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Welcome to the NBA, Scoot Henderson.
Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson hosted a masterclass in a 105-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, and for Henderson — the No. 3-overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft — it’s time to take notes.
Brunson erupted for 45 points on 14-of-30 shooting from the field and 15-of-17 shooting from the foul line to power the Knicks to their fourth win in their last six games.
The Knicks remain in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed. With 16 games remaining on the schedule, New York is three games behind the No. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers, one game ahead of the No. 5 Orlando Magic, 2.5 games in front of the No. 6 Indiana Pacers, and 3.5 games in front of the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
On a night where no other Knicks player scored more than 12 points and the rest of the players on the team mustered just 60 points, Brunson tied his highest-scoring game of his career.
“He just put us on his back and carried us,” Donte DiVincenzo told reporters after the game. “He’s done it all year but it was especially needed tonight.”
Brunson logged his sixth 40-plus-point game of the season with his offensive explosion in Portland on Thursday.
He has scored 40 or more points 10 times in his career, all coming since signing as a free agent with the Knicks two summers ago.
“He’s going along and then all of a sudden he gets four or five buckets in a row,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Then he gets into a rhythm, and I think his teammates, they’re setting screens, they’re moving the ball, they’re giving him a second look. It’s them working together which is creating it, but he’s a very gifted shot-maker.
“He’s got every shot you can imagine: Shoots the three, puts it on the floor, good in the post, good pivot game, good shot-fake game, and he adjusts to how the game is being called. I thought when we started off, he didn’t get calls, but he made them get calls.”
Thursday’s matchup against the Trail Blazers marked the second time Brunson has scored 40 points while struggling from three-point range this season.
He shot just two-of-10 from downtown in Portland and scored most of his points on drives to the rim, and pull-up mid range jumpers, as well as the foul line.
Brunson also scored 40 points while shooting just one-of-six from downtown in a Feb. 1 win over the Indiana Pacers. He and Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only point guards to score 40 points while shooting 20% or worse from three in a game this season.
“I’ve had games where I’ve made a lot of twos and made no threes. I think I had one game this year where I had pretty much all threes and no twos,” Brunson said. “So it happens. Just all about keeping my confidence and not worrying, not second guessing. Just playing right through it. Things are always gonna be a roller coaster. I’ve just gotta keep my mentality and my mind straight. That’s the one thing I can control.”
Brunson is averaging 26.9 points and 6.6 assists on 47.6% shooting from the field. He is averaging 28.7 points and 7.1 assists since the Knicks traded for OG Anunoby on Dec. 31.
ALL HART
Josh Hart logged 42 minutes against the Trail Blazers and finished with seven points, 15 rebounds and three steals on the night. The performance marked Hart’s fifth game of the season with 15 or more rebounds.
All five 15-plus-rebound games have come after the Anunoby trade with the Toronto Raptors.
Hart is averaging 10.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists since the deal that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors.
He is averaging 15 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists over his last 10 games and has secured 15 or more rebounds in four games during this stretch.
“No matter what he says or [however much he] complains, one thing he’s gonna do is play hard for 48 minutes,” Brunson said of Hart. “That’s just what he is. That’s in his DNA. He’s been like that since I’ve met him. This is nothing new.”
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