Jalen Brunson got hot in Las Vegas at the right time.
The Knicks’ All-NBA point guard dropped his first 40-point game of the season on the Magic, plus dished out eight assists, to put New York into the championship game of the NBA Cup.
🔥 JALEN BRUNSON 40-PIECE 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2025
40 PTS I 8 AST I 4 REB I 2 3PM
KNICKS ADVANCE TO THE EMIRATES NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP! pic.twitter.com/KZ4WNmjIYB
Tuesday night in Vegas the Knicks will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the title game.
“He makes the game easier for everybody,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said of Brunson. “That’s what MVPs are supposed to do, and he definitely did that tonight. ... At the end of the day, he carries you home. It’s beautiful to be able to see him do what he’s more than capable of doing on a national stage like this, in an environment like this.”
Even Josh Hart praised Brunson, in his own way.
“He’s barely a 6'0" guard.” - @joshhart
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2025
"This is your fault." - @jalenbrunson1
There's NEVER a dull moment between these two 😂 pic.twitter.com/4hbIVH9ad1
This game felt like physical, playoff-style basketball, and the Knicks thrived in that setting — they scored 70 points in the paint, shooting 71.4% from there, and had 19 points on offensive rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns, in particular, thrived there, going 6-of-6 within eight feet of the basket for the night (plus he knocked down a couple of 3s) on his way to 29 points.
The Knicks’ offense has been clicking of late under coach Mike Brown, and for this game had a 66.8 true shooting percentage as a team (even though league tracking showed the Magic overall had a higher shot quality for the game).
Jalen Sugg carried the Magic in the first half, scoring 25 points and keeping them in the game (he has often stepped up his offense when Franz Wagner is out). However, he was clearly slowed by what coach Jamahl Mosley said postgame was a sore hip and Suggs had just one point in the second half. Suggs left the game in the fourth and went to the locker room.
“We’re going to look at it when we get back (to Orlando),” Mosley said postgame, adding he didn’t know Suggs’ status for an upcoming four-game road trip. “But at the end of the day, he’s a warrior for being out there dealing with what he’s dealing with.”
Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and Desmond Bane added 18 for Orlando.
OG Anunoby added 24 points for New York in a game in which its bench scored only 11 (although Tyler Kolek played well).
