Jalen Brunson leads New York with 20 points

Brunson and the other Knicks starters were done for the night at halftime, and the reigning NBA Finals MVP looked sharp in his 15 minutes. Given the workload he’ll carry once the results count, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect much from Brunson during the preseason, aside from a potential “dress rehearsal” in their finale. He’s worth considering in the second round of standard drafts and shouldn’t fall past the end of the third.

The episode is set to air on NBC and Peacock on September 26. After leading the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years, Brunson, the reigning Finals MVP, is on top of the basketball world. Now he’ll join a long line of pro athletes who have hosted Saturday Night Live. Brunson had offseason wrist surgery, but he’s expected to be ready for training camp later this month. The 30-year-old point guard has an ADP in the late-second round of fantasy drafts.

Despite an injured left wrist, Brunson led the Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973 this past spring. Now focused on retaining the crown for another season, the star point guard is in a good place health-wise after undergoing surgery on his left wrist earlier this summer. Brunson told the New York Post that he “feels good,” and he’s expected to be ready when training camp opens in late September. Given the timeline, fantasy managers should not have any concerns about Brunson’s availability. He should be either a second- or third-round pick in standard league drafts.

Per usual, the NBA will have its brightest stars playing on Christmas Day. The NBA Finals rematch will start the day at 12 p.m. ET and will be followed by Heat-Celtics, 76ers-Lakers, Thunder-Timberwolves and Nuggets-Warriors. Aside from the team and player rivalries that will add to the drama, this will also be LeBron James’ return to Los Angeles after spending the last eight seasons as a Laker.

While this shouldn’t impact Brunson’s availability to start next season, it does make his Finals MVP run even more impressive. Scoring 45 points in a closeout win while dealing with an injury in his shooting wrist is just another testament to Brunson’s resilience. He’ll still have plenty of time to get in shape prior to training camp.

As he has done many times since he arrived in New York, Brunson shouldered a significant amount of the scoring workload on a night when many of his teammates struggled. The captain scored 29 points after halftime, becoming the first player in Knicks franchise history to score 40 points or more in an NBA Finals game. Unsurprisingly, Brunson was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Looking ahead to next season, Brunson has top-25 fantasy potential, even if he did not reach those heights in 2025-26. However, the rotation and responsibilities should be locked in more than they were in head coach Mike Brown’s first season at the helm.

Brunson put together a complete game on Wednesday, posting series-highs in points, field-goal percentage, and assists, while totaling his fewest turnovers. He got going with a 15-point second quarter, which he carried over into a productive 17-point second half. But even without looking at the numbers, he came up big for the Knicks throughout the fourth quarter, especially late, as he made multiple big baskets to keep New York within striking distance before OG Anunoby’s game-winning shot. Brunson has now scored 30 or more points in three of the four games — he’ll have a chance for a fourth on Saturday.

Anunoby was stellar again, following a series-best 28-point performance with 33 points and a game-winning shot. The go-ahead basket came in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter when the Knicks trailed the Spurs 105-106. Jalen Brunson missed a deep three-pointer, which Anunoby tracked down and tipped in with 1.2 seconds remaining. Before the tip-in, the one-time NBA champion had an efficient 31 points, largely due to his seven threes. After trailing by as many as 29 points and completing the comeback, New York will have a chance to end the series and win a championship on Saturday.

Brunson had his best offensive performance of the series, but that added success didn’t result in the Knicks getting another win. It was their first loss since Game 3 against the Hawks in the first round, making it one of the longest winning streaks in postseason history. Even though the streak is over, the Knicks still lead the series 2-1 and hold homecourt advantage in the series. Brunson was still able to make more magical plays at the end of the game, and they’ll need that to continue in Game 4 on Thursday if they want to get their first home win in the NBA Finals since 1999.

Brunson wasn’t particularly efficient with 20 points on 25 attempts, but he came through at the end of the game in typical Brunson-like fashion. With the Knicks trailing by two with less than a minute left in regulation, Brunson stopped in the lane to give himself enough space to hit a fadeaway jumper and tied the game. His made free throw with 10 second left was the difference in the Knicks’ 13th consecutive playoff win as they became the second team in history to accomplish that feat. New York will head home with a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 on Monday, where they’ll look to continue what’s been a dominant postseason run.