Jalen Brunson’s eighth 3-point attempt looked a little wide early on, hitting the side of the rim before bouncing a couple of times and eventually falling down.
He was so hot from the field that a shooter seemed almost unreasonable. He got it anyway.
Brunson, a sixth-year guard, scored a career-high 50 points while hitting nine of his 3-point attempts, Julius Randle added 23 and the New York Knicks beat the Phoenix Suns 139-122 on Friday night.
It was an impressive shooting display from Brunson, who made 17 of 23 shots, including 12 of 12 in the second half. His final 3 totaled 50 points for the night. He also had five steals.
“I had no idea,” Brunson said of his perfection from long range. “I was playing free.”
Brunson became the first Knicks player to score 50 points while making nine 3s. According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, he is the first player in NBA history to go 8-for-8 on 3-pointers in a half.
Brunson became the fourth player in Knicks history to record a 50-point game on 70% shooting, joining franchise legends Patrick Ewing, Bernard King and Willis Reed.
Phoenix — which lost star guard Bradley Beal to an ankle injury in the first quarter — has lost six of its past eight. New York has won two of its past three.
“They made shots and got hot and aggressive,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “They killed us in the pick and roll, that’s the game.”
The Suns led by 10 midway through the third quarter, but led 99-97 heading into the fourth. Brunson paced the Knicks with 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting, including five 3-pointers.
“The way he hits the ball is great,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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