Knicks’ captain Jalen Brunson crosses 10,000 points milestone in a blowout win against Trail Blazers

When Jalen Brunson stepped on the free-throw line on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, the home crowd knew a history was about to be written. And Brunson, with a flick of his wrist, sent the ball into the basket and added a prolific 10,000 career points milestone in his NBA resume. The 6’2” Knicks point guard has been rewriting every scout’s report that ever doubted his abilities. The achievement came in a match against the Portland Trail Blazers, whom the Knicks hosted at MSG. From the first quarter, where the Knicks dropped 37 points against their opponents 22, the intention was clear that the win would stay in New York. The deal was sealed in the 4th quarter when the Knicks put up 40 points on the board, almost double of Trail Blazers’ 28, and ended the match in a blowout win with 127-97. When Jalen Brunson entered the contest against the Trail Blazers on January 30th, he was short of 20 points to reach the five-figure club. But with a trademark free throw late in the third quarter, he achieved this feat. He finished the game with a team-high of 26 points, while shooting 8-of-20 from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw stripe. Beyond Brunson’s individual glory, the dominant win marked the Knicks’ fifth consecutive victory and has moved, and placed them to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-18 record. Seems like Jalen Brunson’s soul-searching talk has helped the Knicks in getting their minds and bodies on the right track. Brunson’s journey from a highly-efficient secondary playmaker in Dallas to an explosive point scorer in New York has put him amongst the elite in the league. This season, he’s played in 43 games and has averaged 27.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, with a field shooting efficiency of 47.5%. As a free against Jalen Brunson signed a 4-year $104 million contract with the Knicks in 2022. Since his arrival, he has transformed the Knicks' playing style and has elevated them to a contender-worthy franchise. He ended a 25-year-long drought by leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals for 2024-2025. As a Knicks player, Brunson has accumulated 6,720 points till now and is currently tied with Bill Cartwright for 10th all-time in franchise history for 20-point games (201). As the 2026 All-Star break approaches, the heartbeat of a Knicks squad earned his third consecutive appearance.