Jalen Brunson erupts early as Knicks thump Bucks

Jalen Brunson scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter, helping the visiting New York Knicks secure a 127-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

OG Anunoby added 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which shot 21-for-42 (50%) on 3-point attempts. Landry Shamet scored 15 points, while Josh Hart had 12 and Mikal Bridges and Mohamed Diawara scored 10 apiece.

Myles Turner led Milwaukee with 19 points, followed by Kyle Kuzma with 17 and Bobby Portis with 14. Ryan Rollins scored 13, while Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 11 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who had won eight of their previous 10 games. Milwaukee committed 16 turnovers in the lopsided loss.

New York held a 20-point halftime lead before Anunoby scored the Knicks' first 11 points of the third quarter, helping the visitors build an 88-64 lead. Milwaukee answered with a 9-0 run, as AJ Green's triple cut the margin to 15.

Shamet's trey and Diawara's free throws closed the third, pushing the Knicks' advantage to 103-83.

New York's lead ballooned to 32 on Towns' 3-pointer with 6:13 left in the fourth, sealing the runaway win.

Brunson scored the last 11 points for New York in the first quarter, with his last-second mid-range jumper bringing his total to 22 and giving the Knicks a 38-30 lead heading into the second.

Towns' jumper was followed by Diawara and Anunoby's consecutive 3-pointers to start the second quarter, extending the Knicks' lead to 46-30.

Milwaukee reduced its deficit to 10 points after Kuzma's layup and Turner's three-point play. From there, Brunson's fourth three of the first half was followed by Shamet's triple and Anunoby's dunk. Towns' jumper gave the Knicks a 68-48 lead with 3:41 remaining in the first half.

New York hit 13 of its 22 3-point attempts in the first half, with Brunson's 25 points leading all scorers. Turner's 18 first-half points paced the Bucks.