Mike Brown lost the MVP after Jalen Brunson went out

NEW YORK – The New York Knicks have been slowly building their case as one of the most experienced teams in the Eastern Conference, and their come-from-behind 118-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night served as a reminder of the offensive firepower the group boasts.

Despite surrendering 62 points to the Bucks in the first half, the Knicks stayed within striking distance long enough to eventually take control. Head coach Mike Brown he was particularly impressed with what an All-Star point guard was Jalen Brunson was able to provide. The Villanova product scored a game-high 37 points on a 12-of-21 shooting night while also notching five assists and one rebound.

Brown went so far as to say that Brunson should be in the MVP conversation.

“He should be talked about now, and it’s early, but as you know, (as) a potential MVP. There’s not enough chatter, which is early, so I’m not mad, but the guy was 37 tonight on 12-of-21, and he’s getting shots a lot and playing real basketball,” Brown said.

“So he basically did what he was supposed to do, and that’s why I don’t talk a lot about it, because that’s what he’s capable of doing, and that’s what he’s supposed to do, being his stature. Hopefully, you and your peers will really start talking the right way about this young man as far as he’s concerned, because he’s got some MVP.”

Brunson closed the game with 22 points in the second half and insured that the Knicks eventually pulled away on the scoreboard.

“I was thinking about more wins than winning the MVP,” Brunson said. “It’s not something I think about. Honestly, when you win, everybody eats, so just focus on winning as a team.”

The Knicks never let the game slip away completely

The contest did not start well for New York. Milwaukee led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, thanks in large part to key performances from Giannis Antetokounmpo and AJ Green. The former scored 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, while the latter scored 18 points with six 3-pointers.

The Knicks ended the first half on an 18-4 run and trailed by just one point at halftime. Mitchell Robinson’s key minutes off the bench helped the team stifle the Bucks for the remainder of the second quarter. The 27-year-old scored six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes.

“I like what I’ve seen so far,” Brown said after the game. “Mitch has given us a great shot off the bench, and his ability to rebound offensively against starters or backups is huge for us, so he has to continue to bring that to the table.”

Josh Hart’s double-double needed an electric shock

It wasn’t a great night for Karl-Anthony Towns, as the center scored just nine points, but New York benefited from a shaken-up Josh Hart, who showed his spark with 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, while also guarding Giannis on several occasions.

“He’s been playing well on both sides of the ball, and he’s in a good rhythm right now …,” Brunson said of Hart. “We just need him to stick with it. He’s the k-factor of what we do.”

Mychal Bridges and Myles McBride also combined for 36 points as the Knicks were without OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet, who were sidelined with a strained left hamstring and strained right shoulder.

The Knicks had a 92-88 lead at the end of the third quarter, and opened the fourth with three straight 3-pointers to make it 101-88 and take their biggest lead of the night. While Giannis and the Bucks cut the deficit significantly, the Manhattan-based team managed to hang on.

The victory was New York’s third in a row and earned the team a spot in the knockout stages of the NBA Cup, where they will face the Raptors in Toronto next month.

While fans and pundits may not see the season tournament itself as a priority, in Friday night’s matchup The Knicks are gathering the kind of resiliency they’ll need to discover over and over again if they intend to prove that they are the class of the East.

“I’m just happy we won. No matter what the situation is, who’s there, who we have on the field, it doesn’t mean anything to me,” Brunson said. “I’m happy we managed to win against a team that’s obviously good and put us on the brink.”