Brunson >> Boston

The Knicks have a special player. And he is having a special season, which knows no logical limits. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Final Score: Knicks 118 - Celtics 109
Record: 48-32

Stop me if you've read this before, but maybe, at some point, Jalen Brunson may play a basketball game where he doesn't leave us slack-jawed while setting some kind of Knicks record… but last night was not that night.

Speaking with the media Thursday, Brunson referred to the 62-win Celtics as the "top dog in the East" and said a matchup against Boston is a "good measuring stick to see where you're at."

Like most tough tests this season, Brunson and his teammates passed with flying colors, dominating the C's for most of the evening. 

Of course, JB led the way, scoring a game-high 39 points with four assists and six 3-pointers in 30 minutes. He shot 15-of-23 from the field and 6-of-11 from behind the arc. 

Boston threw everything they had at him —and I mean everything. They blitzed Brunson, dropped the big in pick-and-roll action, and switched screens. The C's had Jaylen Brown pressure him full-court to start the game. Jrue Holiday tried his hand, as did Derrick White.  

They all got that work. 

Per NBA Advanced Stats Player Tracking analysis, here's the breakdown:
With Jaylen Brown as the primary defender, Brunson scored:
7 points on 3-of-4 shooting (and had two assists)

With Derrick White as the primary defender, Brunson scored:
6 points on 2-of-4 shooting

With Jrue Holiday as the primary defender, Brunson scored:
8 points on 3-of-3 shooting

With Jayson Tatum as the primary defender, Brunson scored:
5 points on 2-of-2 shooting

Brunson scored 39 points on 23 shots on arguably the best defensive team in the NBA two nights after he hung 45 points (on 24 shots) on All-NBA defender Alex Caruso - all while teams are singularly focused on slowing him down.  

That's NOT normal! That's not supposed to happen. 

As a writer, I pride myself on being able to describe a player's performance adequately and in context, but I gotta admit, Brunson's brilliance and sustained success are becoming challenging to capture—in the best way possible. 

Nine days ago, on April 3rd, New York was in fifth place in the East, and Knicks fans were understandably worried about sliding into the Play-In Tournament.  

Since then, New York has won four of its five games (four of which were played away from home). They now sit comfortably in third and have a decent chance of finishing the season with the second-best record in the conference. 

During this all-important five-game stretch, Brunson has averaged 39.4 points, 8.4 assists (vs. just 2.4 turnovers), and 3.6 made three-pointers while shooting a scorching 54.3% from the field, 46.2% from downtown and 85.4% from the free-throw line. 

Think about those numbers for a second.