Category: Basketball

Jalen Brunson's first 40-point game of the year couldn't have come at a better time.

The All-Star point guard dropped a season-high on Saturday night to lead the Knicks over the Orlando Magic and advance to the NBA Cup Championship on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Brunson's scoring outburst came on 16-of-27 shooting (59.3 percent), despite going 2-of-5 from three-point land and only making six free throws. He also added in eight assists, four rebounds, and a steal over 39 minutes in the 132-120 win. 

After the victory, Brunson spoke with the NBA on Prime crew about his performance and how his game continues to improve, especially on the big stages.

"I think the way we've been playing, I've been able to get a couple more catch and shoots. I have a lot of confidence in my shot," Brunson said. "I work way too hard not to be confident. Sometimes it's going to go in, and when it's going in I'm just going to keep firing them."

The 29-year-old was then asked by former two-time MVP Steve Nash about his "touch around the rim" and how that keeps getting better over the course of his career.

"It's something I had to learn," Brunson said. "Obviously I'm not the tallest and I'm not jumping over people... My game's unique. I play off balance. I'm on balance, but most people wouldn't be. That's the stuff I work on, just be deceiving. I've done it for a long time and it keeps getting better and better like you said."

Brunson's previous season-high in scoring was 37 points, which he's had twice this year (against the Heat on Oct. 26 and vs. the Bucks on Nov. 28). He's now averaging 28.3 points per game over 22 contests and has scored 30-plus points in four consecutive games.

New York, winners of five straight games, will need Brunson to continue playing with that confidence to keep their streak going on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup Championship against the winner of the Thunder-Spurs semifinal game.

"I work way too hard not to be confident ... my game is unique."

Jalen Brunson tells the crew about the parts of his game that keep getting better. pic.twitter.com/D83qzUnMmF

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) December 14, 2025

The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic, 132-120, on Saturday night in Las Vegas to move on to the NBA Cup Finals for the first time.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Things got off to a fast start in this one as both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the first quarter which featured nine lead changes. Both squads did most of their damage in the paint early on with guys running up and down the court for easy transition buckets or creating their own shot in the mid-range. 

-- In fact, New York only made two threes (on eight attempts) in the opening 12 minutes -- both by OG Anunoby and one with 4.8 seconds left in the quarter -- but still scored 33 points. However, the Magic, led by Jalen Suggs, did even better and put up 36 points.

-- Suggs continued to lead Orlando in the second quarter and scored a career-high 25 points in the first half, although he seemed to injure himself slightly just before the break. The Magic needed every bit of it, too, because the rest of the team's hot shooting from the first quarter largely disappeared as they shot under 40 percent in the second, although they still scored 28 points.

-- The Knicks, particularly Jalen Brunson, took advantage of Orlando's poor shooting and continued to lean on points in the paint to get it done, taking the lead by doing whatever they wanted near the basket. From Brunson to Mikal Bridges to even Tyler Kolek, everybody got involved. Still, it was Brunson who was matching Suggs' offensive output with 24 of his own in the first half.

-- After another quarter shooting over 60 percent from the field and scoring 38 points, New York went into halftime with a 71-64 lead.

-- Needing help from players not named Suggs and no Franz Wagner in the lineup, Paolo Banchero got more involved out of the gates after a quiet first half and helped the Magic get closer. After tying it, Orlando even took the lead on Desmond Bane two-pointer with 5:24 left in the quarter that made it 87-85 and forced head coach Mike Brown to call a timeout.

-- The Knicks regrouped after the pause and closed out the quarter on a 14-3 run to be up eight going into the fourth quarter.

-- With a trip to the NBA Cup Finals on the line, New York put Orlando away in the final frame, never allowing the Magic to get back into the game. Karl-Anthony Towns had 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and put the exclamation point of a convincing win with a dunk in the final seconds.

-- Brunson went for a game-high 40 points on 16-for-27 from the field and added eight assists, four rebounds and a steal. Every other Knicks starter finished with double-digit points as the team shot 61 percent from the floor. 

-- With Josh Hart once again in the starting lineup, New York improved to 9-1 this season with him as a starter compared to 9-6 with Hart coming off the bench.

-- After his phenomenal first half, Suggs disappeared in the second half and scored just one point as the injury sustained likely played a role.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

Brunson was doing whatever he wanted all game, getting to his spots and knocking down shot after shot from start to finish.

Highlights

What a feed from KAT to Mikal 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/sWNRq72Q6x

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

Jalen Brunson breezes by the defense for the bucket 🫡 pic.twitter.com/BNL9CzFKQX

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

Ball movement ➡️ OG open 👌 pic.twitter.com/NXfN1v4B2p

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

and now a feed from Mikal to KAT 🤩pic.twitter.com/uag4Zh3R3s

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

Mitch 💥 pic.twitter.com/fdxdhFqUyU

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

OG nails the three as the first quarter ends 🎯 pic.twitter.com/lrw78yzHC3

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

TYLER. KOLEK. 🔥
What a sequence. pic.twitter.com/vXD7208Dqy

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

Josh Hart finds Mikal Bridges in stride for the lay ✨ pic.twitter.com/1UqtMCX9AM

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 13, 2025

What's next

The Knicks will play the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. in Las Vegas.

Perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt and his ability to defend can help the Lakers and their reeling defense.

Perhaps Vanderbilt can return to the rotation to help the Lakers’ defensive woes while guard Austin Reaves is out for approximately a week because of a mild left calf strain.

And perhaps Vanderbilt and the Lakers can get some immediate results for shoring up their defensive shortcomings when they face the Suns in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.

The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt is hopeful that his opportunity will come against the Suns and he turns that into a positive for the Lakers.

"Oh, yeah, I'm pretty eager,” he said after practice Saturday. “I mean, obviously, I think a lot of the stuff we lack, I think I can help provide on that end."

In the last 10 games, Vanderbilt had only a three-minute stint against the Philadelphia 76ers because Jake LaRavia took a shot to the face that loosened a tooth.

Read more:Lakers look to sharpen defensive focus for Suns; Austin Reaves sidelined by injury

The return of LeBron James and Vanderbilt’s offensive deficiencies left him out of the rotation. During much of that time the Lakers were winning, which meant Vanderbilt spent time on the bench.

In 15 games, Vanderbilt is three for 10 (26.6%) from three-point range. He was asked how he has been handling things.

"Good,” Vanderbilt said. “Controlling what I can control. Keep showing up to work, doing my part, supporting the team."

Vanderbilt was asked if coach JJ Redick or any assistants have spoken to him about his role.

"Kind of here and there, I guess,” Vanderbilt said.

Vanderbilt was seen after practice Saturday working with an assistant coach on his shooting, just like he did after practice Friday and like he has done while not playing.

Read more:Lakers' Austin Reaves to miss at least a week because of calf strain

Redick said Reaves, who played against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, wasn’t sure when the calf became an issue, and “we’re obviously gonna be cautious with it.”

“It's a mild strain, Grade 1, and he'll be out for a week,” Redick said, adding, “I would venture to say every player is a little bit different, but players now are becoming more cautious — to use that word again — more cautious when they get those diagnosis with the calf. Everything looks clean. It's not in the deep part.”

The Lakers have looked at the last 10 games during the film sessions as a barometer for their defensive problems. But in reality, the Lakers have not been very good on defense all season while producing a 17-7 record because of their stellar offense.

"It's been a trending thing even when we was winning, so I think like you said, the defense still wasn't there, but we was just outscoring everybody,” Vanderbilt said. “So, I think obviously during the loss, it's an appropriate time to address certain things just so it won't keep lingering and get worse."

The Lakers are 18th in the NBA in points given up (116.8), 22nd in opponents' field-goal percentage (48.1%) and 27th in opponents' three-point shooting (38.2%).

They will face a Suns team that defeated them Dec. 1 at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were unable to stop Collin Gillesipie, who had 28 points and was eight for 14 from three-point range, and Dillon Brooks, who had 33 points.

It hasn't gotten better in the ensuing days. The Spurs loss was the Lakers' third in the last five games.

"Nobody likes to go watch film after you get your ass kicked,” guard Marcus Smart said. “It's tough because the film never lies. And it exposed us a lot, which we already knew. We were just winning a lot of games. So it was mitigated that way, but it was straight to it: We have to be able to guard.

“The scouting report against us is we're not guarding people. And if we want to be great in this league and do what we're trying to do, you have to be able to guard, especially in the West. These guys are no joke, and they're coming. And especially [if] you got the Lakers across your jersey. They're definitely coming with everything they have. So you can't be expecting any surprises. And that's what it was. It wasn't no sugarcoating anything. It was, 'This is what we got to do.' We've been asked. Let's fix it.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.