Jalen Brunson scored 41 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday, completing a 4-2 best-of-seven victory.
During the final four games of the series, Brunson truly came into his own, scoring a total of 167 points during that time. He scored no fewer than 39 points in any of those four games, making him the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to score 37 or more points in four straight playoff games, according to Justin Russo of Russo Writes.
Brunson is also the first player since Oscar Robertson to score 35 points and hand out 10 assists in three different games in the same playoff series. This is another nod to the amazing run the 27-year-old went on to help New York make it to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Brunson is the first Knicks player since Bernard King to score 40 or more points in three straight playoff games. He scored 39 points in Game 3. This was done by King in four straight games in 1984.
During his rough four-game stretch, Brunson rarely came off the bench. He played at least 44 minutes in every game during that stretch, as Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau relied on his star guard to finish off the series.
When New York plays Indiana in the conference quarterfinals, he’ll try to keep up his top-notch offensive play.
