On a night when Giannis Antetokounmpo was dominant again, Jalen Brunson was the most unstoppable superstar on the floor
The Knicks saw a 13-point lead dwindle to just two points in the fourth quarter and made just one of their previous 11 shots.
But there was Brunson, fouling Giannis Antetokounmpo on a three-pointer.
He made all three free throws to give the Knicks a five-point lead and some breathing room.
A few possessions later, he was there again, fouling Myles Turner, making a floater and ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play and extend the Knicks’ lead to seven points.
He let out a visceral scream, and the crowd at Madison Square Garden responded with their late-night MVP chant for him.
It was enough, as the Knicks defeated the Bucks 118-109 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The change in mentality – which Brunson makes when he decides that it is no longer the time to get his teammates going, but to take over the game himself – is always noticeable.
It comes, usually without fail, when the Knicks need it most.
It also came earlier than that crunch-time sequence.
There he was, scoring eight straight Knicks points and 13 of 16 points to end the third quarter.
On this Black Friday, Brunson — who took less money than was required under his current Knicks contract — once again proved he’s the best bargain in the league.
In a do-or-die situation, the Knicks won Group C in the NBA Cup and advanced to the quarterfinals.
They dumped the Bucks – who won the Cup last year – out of the tournament in the process.
And they found a bit of revenge, too, as exactly a month ago they fell to the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Brunson finished with 37 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range.
He got little help from a passive Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored just nine points on rough 2-for-8 shooting from the field.
Two of Towns’ worst games this year came against the Bucks.
Josh Hart, starting his third straight game after coming off the bench in the first 14 games he has played in this year, continues to benefit from the increased workload coach Mike Brown has given him.
He finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes, but his impact went beyond the box score.
He somehow won a jump ball from Antetokounmpo to give the Knicks possession before Brunson’s decisive three-point play in the fourth quarter.
On the other end, he set Antetokounmpo up defensively, forcing him to pass, which ultimately resulted in a miss by Kyle Kuzma.
Antetokounmpo recorded 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists after missing the previous four games with a thigh injury.
But unlike the first meeting between these two superstars earlier this year, it was Brunson who made the difference.
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