Jalen Brunson is on fire

Jalen Brunson is on fire lately. Over his last 10 games, the New York Knicks’ star point guard is putting up averages of 27.8 points, 3.6 rebound, 8.4 assists and a team-leading plus/minus of +17.5. He’s capped off that run with a masterful performance of 41 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block in a 113-109 victory over the Washington Wizards.

When Brunson is firing on all cylinders, the rest of the Knicks follow suit. They’re still deep in the mix for a guaranteed playoff spot and currently sit in the top six with a 25-17 record. He’s getting plenty of help from co-star Julius Randle, who is averaging 26.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. OG Anunoby is also providing a solid 15 points, five rebounds, 1.2 steals and a block per game.

The Sacramento Kings are in panic mode right now

It’s become a common theme this season to see the Sacramento Kings lose to teams without their stars. Their latest mishap came against the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Kings in Sacramento while missing Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal SIakam.

The Kings almost fought back at the end of the game but the darlings of last season are facing serious adversity now. They’ve lost four in a row for the first time this season, including blowing a 20+ point four quarter lead against the Phoenix Suns in their previous game.

GM Monte McNair didn’t make any big moves in the offseason, but it’s starting to look like fans are losing their patience and the team could use some new blood. Sacramento were the best offense in the league last season, but that’s a thing of the past now. If they are middling in both defense and offense, their hopes of avoiding the play-ins are going to fade away.

Losing to the Pacers hurt even more because Kevin Huerter finally broke his funk and dropped 31 points while shooting 7 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has shown that the Grizzlies are in trouble if they have to rely on him for their scoring

Jaren Jackson Jr. dropped 36 points in a 118-103 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that’s got to smart a little bit. It’s the seventh time he’s scored at least 30 points this season but he is now 1-6 in that span. 

The former defensive player of the year has to play in a painful situation at the moment as the Grizzlies are missing Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane. The hope for the Grizzlies is that he’ll continue scoring well next season when they’re healed up.