NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 12: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket defended by Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks during the second half at Madison Square Garden on January 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo b …
NEW YORK - Jalen Brunson scored 44 points despite missing part of the third quarter with an apparent injury, and the New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 140-106 on Sunday.
Brunson had 23 points in the first quarter, one off his career high for any period, and was off to another strong start in the third when he was slow to get up after having his shot blocked on a drive to the basket. Once he did stand up, he immediately motioned to the bench that he needed to come out and walked directly to the locker room area.
The Knicks never announced an injury and Brunson eventually emerged from the tunnel about six minutes later to a loud ovation and checked back into the game. He reached 40 points for the 17th time as a Knick, tying Carmelo Anthony for third on the franchise list.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost four of five before shooting 58% from the field.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Damian Lillard added 22 points.
Takeaways
Bucks: Milwaukee has been blown out in both trips to New York and in this one allowed its highest point total of the season.
Knicks: As long as Brunson is fine, Sunday's game went a long way toward shaking off the bad feelings to the Knicks' rocky start to the new year.
Key moment
The Knicks opened the second half with a 10-0 burst, forcing the Bucks to take two quick timeouts and extending the lead to 85-62.
Key stat
The Knicks' 75 points at halftime were the most the Bucks have allowed this season.
Up next
The Knicks host Detroit on Monday to complete a back-to-back. The Bucks open a four-game homestand Tuesday against Sacramento.