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Jalen Brunson's performance on Sunday took a surprising turn when he left the game in the third quarter due to an apparent shoulder injury. It seemed unlikely that he would reach 40 points, adding an element of concern for fans and teammates.

He returned and came back out on the court to thunderous applause, leading the host Knicks past the Bucks 140-106 blowout. Brunson finished the night with 44 points (16-of-26 shooting), six assists and one turnover. This was Brunson's 17th 40+ point game as a Knick, tying him for third all-time in Knicks history with Carmelo Anthony (Patrick Ewing, 30, and Bernard King, 23, are ahead of Brunson).

Jalen Brunson had a DAY at MSG:

44 PTS (61.5 FG%)
6 AST
5 REB
5 3PM
@nyknicks W

It's the most points in NYK franchise history when playing less than 30 minutes (Brunson played 28:47) pic.twitter.com/GIZOAINs4o

— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2025

As to Brunson's shoulder, Brunson brushed off questions about it postgame, while coach

Tom Thibodeau said his star point guard had

"Yeah, he wanted to see the score of the Eagles game," Hart said. "So I told him next time he could just ask somebody and not go into the back, but to each his own."

Brunson had 23 of his points in the first quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points for New York. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 and Damian Lillard had 22 for Milwaukee.