Next to his college teammate Josh Hart once more, Jalen Brunson looked at home.
And with each passing game, Brunson, who notably was not invited to the All-Star Game next Sunday in Salt Lake City, looks more like a certified snub.
Brunson enjoyed another big game Saturday night in the Knicks’ 126-120 win over the Jazz at the Garden, when he reunited with his Villanova pal who came over from the Trail Blazers in a deadline trade.
Hart and Brunson looked in synch — Brunson threw a long pass to jump-start a fastbreak and earn an assist on Hart’s first field goal with the Knicks — as if no time had passed since they won the national title together at Villanova in 2016.
Regardless of his teammates, Brunson has looked unstoppable for several weeks. He followed up a 20-point first quarter Friday in a loss at Philadelphia by adding 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first period Saturday, setting the tone for a 38-point night that he finished well, too.
With the game in the balance, Brunson went to work. He put Utah’s Ochai Agbaji on his hip, drove and pulled up to give the Knicks a 108-105 lead halfway through the fourth.
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The Jazz tied it up before Brunson swished a step-back 3-pointer for a 112-109 lead they did not give back. After RJ Barrett drilled a triple of his own on the next possession, the Knicks could exhale.
Brunson was first snubbed Feb. 2, when the All-Star reserves were announced without his name included. The All-Star injury replacements were selected Friday afternoon, when Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam got the nod over the Knicks’ outstanding point guard.
In five games since the first snubbing, Brunson has averaged 31 points.
The Jazz had no answers for Brunson, who could use his speed or strength to get whatever shot he wanted. He finished 11-for-22 from the floor — including 2-for-5 from downtown — and added five assists.
Brunson went 14-for-15 from the foul line, sinking his final two with 29.1 seconds left. The Garden crowd serenaded the non-All-Star with “MVP” chants.
