Vincent GoodwillDec 13, 2025, 08:36 PM ET
LAS VEGAS -- It wasn't a packed house but the MVP chants were audible for Jalen Brunson throughout T-Mobile Arena as his New York Knicks clinched a spot in the NBA Cup final on Saturday night.
Brunson's 40 points powered the Knicks to a 132-120 win over the Orlando Magic for their ninth win in the last 10 games. It's Brunson's first 40-point game this season and Knicks coach Mike Brown was adamant his point guard be entered into the Most Valuable Player discussions.
"When you have an MVP of the league candidate in Jalen Brunson, you know, 16-for-27, 40 points, he makes the game easier for everybody," Brown said. "That's what MVPs are supposed to do, and he definitely did that tonight."
The Magic have been a thorn in the Knicks' side this season, with Saturday being their fourth matchup in less than two months. The Magic won the first two matchups handily before the Knicks cracked the code less than a week ago at Madison Square Garden.
But Brunson's best was still going to be required for another win. The prize money for the Cup winners was a big motivator, and also there's the possibility of these two teams matching up at some point in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Brunson took control of the game in critical moments, but it was his floor generalship that settled things after the Knicks squandered a double-digit lead in the third quarter. He found OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Mikal Bridges for scores after Orlando took a short lead, and still found a way to score 15 after halftime.
"It's beautiful to be able to see him do what he's more than capable of doing on a national stage like this in an environment like this," Brown said. "So that hopefully you guys as media and the fans out there can continue talking about him as an MVP of this league because that's exactly what he is."
The early MVP conversations have centered around the usual suspects: Three-time winner Nikola Jokic in Denver, who's averaging another triple-double, and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, who's led the Thunder to a 24-1 record -- tied for the best start in NBA history.
Numbers-wise, Brunson is having a season similar to his three previous years as a Knick, averaging 28.3 points and 6.3 assists. The highest he finished in MVP voting was fifth in 2023-24, and he was 10th in voting last year.
At 6-foot-2, it would be quite the anomaly if Brunson were to leapfrog the competition to win the award. Only Allen Iverson (2001), Stephen Curry (2015-16) and Steve Nash (2005-06) have won the award at that height since the media began voting in 1980.
The Knicks are second in the East behind conference-leading Detroit (20-5), and the two teams will meet in early January.
Brown, in his first season as Knicks coach, seemed very intentional in his support for Brunson.
"There's no campaign speech. I'm just telling the truth, and he has not gotten enough credit," Brown said. "What I have seen, somebody bring up conversations about MVP, and you see a lot of other great candidates that are well-deserving but I don't ever hear Jalen's name.
"When you're first or second in either conference, and you're putting up the numbers that he's putting up, his name's got to be one of the first names coming out of somebody's mouth."
Brunson downplayed the notion of not receiving enough credit, but was appreciative of Brown's sentiments.
"No, I don't read into that stuff," Brunson said. "[It] just shows the trust and the faith that he has in me, and I'm very thankful of our relationship over these past couple months. It's only going to continue to get better. Our communication has been great.
"It's a growing experience, a learning experience but I'm really thankful for our relationship."
