CHICAGO — Jalen Brunson has done it again.
At this point, 40+ points is just another day at the office during one of the best individual offensive stretches this franchise has ever produced.
The point guard scored 45 points in Tuesday’s 128-117 win over the Bulls and added eight assists on another excellent shooting show.
With this win, the Knicks’ magic number to advance into the top six of the East and make the playoffs is reduced to one.
If Miami hadn’t won in Atlanta, the Knicks would have done it on Tuesday.
Still, they looked in great spirits after a busy Tuesday night.
The Knicks moved up to third place in the East, overtaking the Magic who lost to the Rockets.
Although they beat the Celtics, they are still one game behind the Bucks, who lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to a gruesome calf injury.
The Knicks (47-32) have won three of their last four games, and Brunson has stepped up every defense.
Tuesday was his 10th 40-point game of the season, which ranks third in team history.
Bernard King lost 13 40-point games in 1984-1985.
Patrick Ewing had 11 in 1989-1990.
Brunson was helped by OG Anunoby, who had his best game since returning from elbow tendinitis in Chicago.
He scored 24 points in 35 minutes.
Donte DiVincenzo added 21 points.
The Bulls (37-42) are competing for home court in the play-in tournament, defeating the Knicks on the same court last week.
But their defense disappeared Tuesday, especially when Brunson had the ball.
Chicago’s biggest contribution in the first quarter was a blowout.
Torrey Craig hit back-to-back 3-0 breakaways, throwing off the backboard and attempting a self alley-oop.
Except teammate Andre Drummond also went for the ball.
Both collided and missed.
Drummond then left in a wheelchair after twisting his left ankle.
Billy Donovan might want to consider the Kentucky job.
The first half ended in a wild way.
The Bulls hit two 3-pointers with 5 seconds left and Coby White-Trey capped the game with a steal with 1.6 seconds left.
Going into the locker room may have been discouraging, but DiVincenzo made a buzzer-beating half-court swell to extend New York’s lead to six points.
The Knicks then went on a 13-2 run in the second half and never looked back.
Chicago’s Alex Caruso, one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders, was helpless against Brunson.
And even when the Bulls blitzed Brunson in the fourth quarter and promised to flip the switch, it didn’t work.
He’s peaked at the right time, with three games remaining, each of which will impact the playoff standings.
Thibodeau understands what each game means, but he wants his team to ignore them.
“I said this: You have to understand that the intensity of the last 10 games of the season is different than the first 70 games,” the Knicks coach said. “There’s almost a playoff-like intensity to this, and everyone’s playing for something. And we can’t get lost. And the task at hand is to win the game. Stay focused. So don’t think, “Oh, this is going to get me into the playoffs.”
“We’re going to do what we need to do to win games. We’re just going to take it one step at a time, and that’s what this team has done really well all year.”
