Jalen Brunson drops career-high 50 points to lead Knicks over Suns in historic night

PHOENIX — Jalen Brunson got his 50-piece on shooting perfection. 

After more than a decade of losing to Kevin Durant, the Knicks finally beat one of the league’s greatest Friday night, riding a scorching Brunson to a 139-122 upset victory at the Footprint Center. 

Brunson dropped a career-high 50 points on 17-for-23 from the field, including a flawless 9-for-9 on treys.

His final bucket, fittingly, was a 3-pointer, which put Brunson in rare company.

He joined Kyrie Irving as the only two players in NBA history to score 50 points and not miss a 3-pointer. 

The Knicks tend to win when Brunson connects from long range. 

Friday night certainly reinforced that. It bested Brunson’s previous top scoring mark of 48 points, which he established last season. 

The win snapped a 13-game losing streak to Durant, who went cold in the fourth quarter with six of his 29 points. 

Durant’s dominance over the Knicks spanned three different teams — Oklahoma City, Golden State, and Brooklyn. His last three victories with the Nets included a 53-point performance and two triple-doubles.

He relished the matchup while playing for the Knicks’ outer-borough rival, but it didn’t translate to his first matchup with the Suns (13-12). 

“We know how much Knicks fans don’t like us,” Durant said while with the Nets. “Especially now this era, with us not choosing the Knicks, me and Kyrie [Irving]. … Imagine the tweets I’ve been getting since I decided to come to the Nets. Knicks fans are still pissed off.” 

The Knicks (14-10) improved to 5-8 against teams with winning records, which is relevant because Friday kicked off 10 straight games against opponents with winning records. 

Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combined for an efficient 44 points.

The Knicks shot 60 percent overall — including 59 percent on 3-pointers — mostly because Brunson’s shooting hand was aflame.

He bombarded the Suns before going to Los Angeles for a two-game set against the Clippers and Lakers. 

For the Suns, the matchup represented just the second time their Big 3 played together — Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal — and their injury-free run Friday lasted less than five minutes. 

With 7:28 left in the first quarter, Beal turned his ankle badly after rising for a jumper and landing on Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo.

It was a flagrant on DiVincenzo, who jumped into Beal’s landing space.

Beal limped off the court after taking the free throws and didn’t return. 

He has missed 19 games already this season with a back issue, raising red flags about Phoenix’s offseason trade for a player in the second year of a $251 million deal. 

So the Suns were accustomed to playing without Beal, but they couldn’t stop Brunson, who scored 35 points in the second half.

The Knicks took the lead early in the fourth quarter and rode Brunson to the finish line. 

Taj Gibson, officially signed Friday as a free agent, logged a DNP as Jericho Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein split the center minutes.

It was an expected move as Thibodeau warned that Gibson’s main function is as a veteran presence in the locker room. 

“Right now we’re good with the rotation, but the best thing about him is he’s always ready,” Thibodeau said. “He can play two positions. Whenever he’s called upon he’s always ready to go. There’s a defensive component to him. He’s added the corner three.

“He can execute, he’s a great screener, can run the floor, can space the floor properly, play hard. The most important thing is a great teammate.”