Jalen Brunson scores 42 points to fuel Knicks furious rally for win over Rockets without OG Anunoby

Jalen Brunson so often receives beckoning “MVP” chants around Madison Square Garden.Well, MVPs have a habit of raising their game to another level when co-stars, particularly ones as important as OG Anunoby, are out.And that’s exactly what Brunson did.He put the team on his back and led a furious Knicks fourth-quarter comeback en route to their 124-118 win over the shorthanded Rockets Monday night at Madison Square Garden.For a while, this brought back eerily similar memories to what the Knicks looked like last year without Anunoby.The Knicks found themselves down 11 points entering the fourth quarter.

Amen Thompson, without Anunoby there to guard him, was torching their defense.They were struggling mightily shooting from 3-point range.Life without Anunoby, who received the biggest contract in franchise history this past offseason, is much harder.

But the Knicks clearly weren’t in the mood for excuses.Teams that want to consider themselves contenders don’t allow themselves to make any.They promptly outscored the Rockets 46-29 in the fourth quarter.

Brunson scored seven straight Knicks points late in the quarter to give them a 118-114 lead.Then, he stripped Thompson on defense to win possession.

Then, he was fouled and drilled both free throws — making it nine straight Knicks points for him — to extend the lead to 120-116 with 21.2 seconds left.That was enough.Brunson led all scorers with 42 points.

He added 10 assists as well.Yes, the Rockets, who have emerged as one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this year, were playing without Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr., all of whom are usually starters.But this was an inspiring Knicks comeback without one of their leading stars nonetheless.The Rockets represent what the Knicks have largely struggled with this season — a young, athletic team that can run up and down the court and hurt opponents in transition.

They entered Monday’s game averaging 18.3 fast break points per game —...