Knicks reach .500 as Jalen Brunson's 22-point first quarter buries the Bulls

Jalen Brunson didn't wait for the fourth quarter on Wednesday night. The Knicks captain scored 22 points in the first quarter of a 135-105 rout of the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. He finished with 33 in 28 minutes, and the win brought New York to 4-4, its first time at .500 since opening night.

SNY noted that the usual Brunson script got flipped. He's known as a closer, and this time he did his damage early. The Associated Press reported that he shot 8 of 10 in the opening period, including 4 of 5 from three. The Knicks led 43-21 after one quarter and never trailed after an 8-0 run wiped out a 6-4 Chicago lead. Their 84 points at halftime tied the franchise record for a half, a mark first set in November 1988.

Brunson ended the night 10 of 17 from the field, 5 of 10 from deep and 8 of 9 at the line. According to Yahoo Sports, it was his 11th 20-point quarter as a Knick, a franchise record since play-by-play data went digital in 1996. It was also his ninth 30-point game against the Bulls, one behind Patrick Ewing for the most in team history. Chicago has now lost six straight.

Once Brunson cooled off, the rest of the lineup kept the margin wide. The New York Daily News reported that Karl-Anthony Towns opened the third quarter with threes on the Knicks' first two possessions and scored 12 in the period. He finished with 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 12 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 18.

The game was decided so early that Brunson played only 17 minutes after the first quarter. Head coach Mike Brown told SNY that the team's analytics show Brunson holding up, and even improving, as his minutes pile up. Even so, Brown said he never thought about keeping his star on the floor to pad the total, citing the long view toward the spring: "I have to be conscious of not going to the well too much." Brunson said he might someday ask to stay in a game like this one, but only at the right moment.

What it means for Cleveland

The Knicks have spent the first two weeks climbing out of an early hole. They opened 1-3, losing to Philadelphia, at Boston and to Orlando by a combined 19 points. They have won four of five since. The only loss in that stretch was a five-point game in Philadelphia, between wins over Detroit, Chicago twice and Brooklyn. Over the last two games, both at home, they beat the Nets by 13 and the Bulls by 30.

The Bulls game also showed how much better the offense runs when Brunson's jumper is falling. New York has scored 133 or more twice in eight games, and both times came against Chicago. The Cavaliers should be a much tougher test of whether the offense has found a rhythm or just found a struggling opponent.

New York has been better at the Garden so far, 3-2 at home and 1-2 on the road. Saturday's game is in Cleveland on November 7, broadcast on NBA TV and DAZN in the Cleveland market. Keeping Brunson's minutes down on Wednesday may help with the turnaround. He goes into the weekend with a light workload and a hot shooting night behind him.