'A lot of room for improvement', says Brunson after Knicks return

After a month out with an ankle injury, Brunson played 34 minutes in his return.

The 28-year-old scored 15 points and registered six assists in 34 minutes, as 32 points from OG Anunoby powered the Knicks to victory.

"Could be better, could be worse. Definitely a lot of room for improvement on my end", said Brunson on a performance which saw some uncharacteristic missed jumpers as he finished just three for nine from the field.

But he made it count when it mattered, hitting a tough triple with two minutes remaining to extend the lead to 10 points and demonstrate why he leads the NBA for clutch points per minute.

Jalen Brunson debuted a new “The Jokes On You” Nike Kobe 5 PE against the Suns pic.twitter.com/FmWrD7puAD

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Knicks' star man, who averages 26.3ppg and 7.4apg this season, was keen to heap praise on his British teammate Anunoby's form in his absence.

"I don't want to say [my injury] was a silver lining, but whenever someone goes out, it's a collective team effort, and everyone steps up," Brunson said.

"It gives everyone a chance to come together and get better."

London-born small-forward Anunoby has averaged 24 points since Brunson's injury last month and shot seven of seven from the floor during the third quarter as the Knicks asserted control.

Whilst not at his best, Brunson still showed his range of passing, delivering a number of sharp assists throughout the game.

"Usually what happens when a player comes back is he needs to get a feel, and usually there's a play or two where he'll be tested a little bit. And then once he realises he's good, he takes off," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson.

"I thought in the second half, there was a different gear to him."

The Knicks will be glad to have Brunson back as they move a step closer to securing the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

With four games left of the regular season, they need just one more win, or one more Indiana Pacers loss, to qualify for the play-offs.