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Jalen Brunson

The King of New York: Jalen Brunson's Playoff Reign

He's only been a Knick for three seasons. He already owns the franchise record for 30-point playoff games. He's matched Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on an all-time list. And he has the Knicks one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. This is the coronation of Jalen Brunson.

Wear the King's jersey — Fanatics / NBA Store →

At a Glance

2026 Playoffs (6 games)
26.3 PPG · 2.5 RPG · 6.2 APG · 1.0 SPG
Shooting splits
46.8% FG · 37.8% 3PT · 82.4% FT
Series vs. 76ers (through G3)
31.3 PPG · 9 APG · 50% FG
Playoff career with Knicks
49 games — all with 15+ points
Team status
Knicks lead 76ers 3-0; one win from Eastern Conference Finals
Knicks playoff win streak
6 straight — 5 by double digits

Milestone Progress

Most 30-point playoff games in Knicks franchise history

Franchise record History made

24 career playoff games with 30+ points as a Knick — the most in franchise history.1

Previous record: Patrick Ewing held the mark with 18, across 135 playoff games. Brunson reached 24 in just 51 Knicks playoff games.2

Brunson also had 3 more 30-point playoff games with the Dallas Mavericks, for 27 career 30-point postseason games overall.3

2026 postseason: Three 30-point games already — 35 in Game 1 and 33 in Game 3 vs. Philadelphia.4

Franchise benchmark (Ewing: 18)24 / 18+

34 playoff games with 25+ points — second all-time in Knicks history

All-time #2

34 Knicks playoff games scoring 25+ points — second in franchise history.5

He logged his 34th such game in Game 2 vs. Philadelphia (26 points, 6 assists).6

At his current pace, he is climbing the Knicks' all-time list faster than any predecessor at the same stage.

Illustrative pace toward franchise ceiling (scale 0–40 games)34 / 40

49 straight playoff games with 15+ points — MJ & Kareem club

MJ & Kareem club

Brunson has scored at least 15 points in all 49 Knicks playoff games.7

Only two players opened their playoff career with a longer 15-point streak for one team: Michael Jordan (179 straight with Chicago) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57 straight with Milwaukee).8

What's next: 9 more 15+ playoff games would move him past Kareem (57) for second on that all-time opening streak list.

Fun fact: He has never scored below 15 in a Knicks playoff game — 49 for 49.

Progress toward Kareem's 57-game opening streak (same team)49 / 57

Game 1 first-half explosion — 27 points before halftime

First-half fire

Game 1 vs. Philadelphia (May 5, 2026): 27 of his 35 points came before halftime.9

Result: Knicks 137–98 — a 39-point win.10

Shooting: 12-of-18 FG, 3-of-6 3PT.11

New York shot 63% from the field as a team and led by as many as 40. The Knicks became the first team in NBA playoff history to win three straight games by 25+ points.12

The MSG effect: At Madison Square Garden, Brunson has been nearly unstoppable in the playoffs.

Share of Game 1 scoring in the first half (27 of 35)77%

Game 3 closer — 33 points & 9 assists for a 3-0 lead

Game 3 takeover

33 points on 11-of-22 FG (50%), 3-of-8 3PT, 9 assists, 5 rebounds in Game 3 (May 8, 2026) at Philadelphia.1314

Signature moment: A dagger three-pointer under 4:00 remaining stretched the lead from 5 to 8 and broke Philadelphia's last rally.15

Key stat: One assist shy of a double-double.16

Series: Knicks lead 3-0 — sweep chance next.17

Context: Achieved without starting forward OG Anunoby (hamstring injury in Game 2).18

Clutch performance index (narrative scale)Full bar

Brunson & Towns — 14 shared 20-point playoff games (franchise duo mark)

Franchise duo

Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have each scored 20+ in 14 playoff games together — tying Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusschere for the most such games by a duo in Knicks playoff history.19

Frazier and DeBusschere anchored the franchise's first two titles (1970, 1973). Brunson and Towns are matching that two-man production at a historic clip.

Towns (2026 playoffs sample): 18.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.0 APG, 56.9% FG.20

Duo 20+ games (franchise benchmark met)14 tied

Most points in first 50 playoff games — another Ewing record falls

Ewing's record falls

Brunson holds the mark for most points by any Knick in their first 50 playoff games, passing Patrick Ewing.21

Before Brunson, Ewing owned nearly every meaningful Knicks playoff scoring record. In 51 playoff games, Brunson has shattered multiple benchmarks.

Big picture: 24 career 30-point playoff games as a Knick (27 including Dallas) puts him in elite NBA company — only a handful of players have produced this volume of high-scoring playoff games this quickly.

Franchise first-50 playoff scoring markRecord

From Overlooked Second-Round Pick to King of New York

2026 Playoff Game Log — Jalen Brunson
Game Opponent PTS FG 3PT FT AST REB STL Result
G3 @ PHI (May 8) 76ers 33 11-22 3-8 8-9 9 5 0 W 108-94
G2 vs PHI (May 6) 76ers 26 10-22 3-9 3-3 6 1 1 W 108-102
G1 vs PHI (May 5) 76ers 35 12-18 3-6 8-9 4 3 1 W 137-98
G6 @ ATL (May 1) Hawks 39 14-26 5-11 6-7 5 3 1 W 126-97
G5 vs ATL (Apr 29) Hawks — Data pending — — — — — W
G4 @ ATL (Apr 27) Hawks 22 8-17 2-7 4-4 5 4 0 W 114-98

What They're Saying

"Anything can happen in this series, so we've just got to be locked in for Game 6."

— Jalen Brunson (after Game 3)22

"I know they're going to try to bring a lot of force down there. So we've got to be prepared and we know what's coming, so we'll be ready."

— Jordan Clarkson, Knicks reserve23

"Jalen Brunson has scored at least 15 points in all 49 playoff games of his Knicks career. Only 2 players have had longer 15-point streaks to begin their playoff career with a single team: Michael Jordan (179 straight with Bulls) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57 straight with Bucks)."

— OptaSTATS (via X)24

One Win from History

Share & Support

Crown the King — Get Brunson's Jersey →

References & notes

  1. Franchise 30-point playoff games leader — narrative hub milestone framing (editorial).
  2. Patrick Ewing prior franchise benchmark: 18 such games / 135 playoff games — comparative context (editorial).
  3. Additional 30-point playoff games with Dallas Mavericks (+3) — career total 27 (editorial).
  4. 2026 postseason 30-point games vs. 76ers: Game 1 (35), Game 3 (33) — static summary.
  5. 34 Knicks playoff games with 25+ points — second in franchise history (editorial).
  6. 34th 25+ game: Game 2 vs. Philadelphia — 26 PTS, 6 AST (editorial).
  7. 49 consecutive Knicks playoff games with 15+ points (editorial).
  8. Historical comparison: Jordan (179, Bulls), Kareem (57, Bucks) — widely cited streak framing.
  9. Game 1 first half: 27 of 35 points before halftime — static game line.
  10. Game 1 final: Knicks 137, 76ers 98 — 39-point margin.
  11. Game 1 shooting: 12-18 FG, 3-6 3PT — static box-style line.
  12. Knicks first team with three straight 25+ point playoff wins — narrative claim (editorial / broadcast-style).
  13. Game 3 line: 33 PTS, 11-22 FG, 3-8 3PT — static.
  14. Game 3 additions: 8-9 FT, 9 AST, 5 REB — static.
  15. Dagger three under four minutes — storyline beat (editorial).
  16. One assist shy of double-double — static note.
  17. Series 3-0; sweep opportunity — static status line.
  18. OG Anunoby hamstring absence context — storyline (editorial).
  19. Brunson–Towns 14 shared 20+ playoff games — tied Frazier/DeBusschere franchise duo mark (editorial).
  20. Karl-Anthony Towns playoff sample: 18.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.0 APG, 56.9% FG — static snapshot.
  21. Most points in first 50 Knicks playoff games — Ewing benchmark surpassed (editorial milestone framing).
  22. Jalen Brunson quote after Game 3 — as provided.
  23. Jordan Clarkson quote — as provided.
  24. OptaSTATS social post — paraphrased / as provided for streak fact.

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