Brunson Burner! Knicks' Jalen Brunson Named East Player of the Week

Brunson reached at least 30 points in three consecutive games, serving as the catalyst behind a 3-1 stretch for the New York Knicks.

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has been named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week after a dominant stretch saw him score at least 30 points in three consecutive games.

Sacramento Kings forward-center Domantas Sabonis and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 13 of the 2022-23 season (Jan. 9-15). pic.twitter.com/8OUxS3WW4K

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 16, 2023

The weekly accolade is the latest sign that Brunson has lived up to the $104 million contract bestowed to him last offseason. As the Knicks try to separate themselves from Play-In Tournament territory in the early stages of the season's second half, Brunson has played a major role in the past seven games, which has seen New York amass a 6-1 record.

The former Dallas Maverick missed the Knicks' last three games of 2022 but has averaged 32.4 points and 5.7 assists in the seven contests since. Those efforts include the week that earned him the POTW award, which saw him aver just under 34. His season-best in scoring came in a Monday loss to Milwaukee, putting in 44 on 15-of-30 shooting from the field. 

In addition to bestowing Brunson's new mini-hardware, the NBA also revealed that his teammate Julius Randle was also considered for the honor. Randle, the Knicks' leading scorer and rebounder, averaged 26 and 15.8 in those respective categories over the four games last week, an appropriate output considering his active streak of double-doubles (at 10 entering Monday action).

Triple-double averages (18.5 PPG, 14.3 RPG, 10.3 APG) on the Western Conference side afforded the other weekly accolade to Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings. 

Brunson and the Knicks (25-19) trail the Toronto Raptors by a 25-19 score after the first quarter of a holiday matinee at Madison Square Garden.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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