Brunson's 38 Points Power New York Past Chicago, 133-127

Jalen Brunson dropped 38 points and dished 7 assists to carry New York past Chicago 133-127 on October 29. Four Knicks finished in double figures, but this one had Brunson's fingerprints all over it from the opening quarter.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth street fight. Chicago jumped out early — Norman Powell's 23-foot running jumper made it 5-2, and Caleb Wilson's driving dunk pushed it to 10-7 — but Brunson kept answering. His 25-foot three at the 4:47 mark gave New York a 21-17 edge, and when Leonard Miller flipped the lead back to Chicago at 24-23, Brunson responded again with a floating jumper to reclaim it. The quarter ended with New York up 34-33 after Karl-Anthony Towns converted a layup and free throw in the final 18 seconds, only for Chicago's Jalen Smith to drain a 26-footer at the buzzer and nearly erase it entirely. OG Anunoby then opened the second quarter with back-to-back buckets — an alley-oop dunk and a 25-foot three, both off Tyler Kolek assists — to push New York to 39-35 and, it appears, set the tone for the rest of the half.

The game's decisive moment came in the fourth quarter. With Chicago trailing and the crowd sensing a comeback, Leonard Miller connected on a 24-foot three-pointer assisted by Caleb Wilson at the 7:52 mark of the fourth — swinging Chicago's win probability from 41% to 52%. That shot made it a genuine crisis for New York. But this is where Brunson earns his money. The Knicks held on and closed it out 133-127, with Brunson's 38-point, 7-assist night proving too much for Chicago to overcome. Jordan Clarkson added 18 off the bench with 2 steals, and Towns posted a quiet 19-point, 13-rebound, 5-assist line that looks like the kind of performance that doesn't get enough credit in a win.

For Chicago, Norman Powell's 30 points kept the Bulls competitive all night, and Caleb Wilson's 20-point, 6-rebound, 4-assist effort showed real two-way value — his 2 steals and a block included. But the Bulls couldn't find enough consistent offense to match New York's depth. Several players on both sides sat out as coach's decisions, so reading too much into rotations this early feels premature. What's harder to dismiss is how comfortably New York's offense hummed even when Chicago made it uncomfortable. The story of the night was Brunson operating as a one-man closer, and Chicago simply didn't have an answer for him when it mattered most.