Jalen Brunson put Knicks on his back when they needed it most — yet again

Monday night’s game was shaping up to be an ugly loss for the Knicks.

Playing without star two-way defender OG Anunoby for the first time this season due to a foot injury, they were stuck in a back-and-forth battle with the young and hungry Rockets, who came into the night a stellar 17-7 on the road this season.

New York was able to overcome some questionable non-calls and early offensive struggles to keep the game within striking distance, but Houston kept their foot on the gas and went on a big run late in the third quarter to push the lead back up to double digits heading into the final frame.

Then things finally began to turn back in the Knicks’ favor.

The bench unit, led as always by Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa, came up with some massive stops while Karl-Anthony Towns was finally able to get going on the other end of the floor — before Jalen Brunson decided it was time for him to take things over for good.

The superstar point guard drew ‘MVP’ chants from the hometown crowd as he made big basket after big basket down the stretch, scoring 17 of New York’s 46 fourth-quarter points to pull out the gutsy come-from-behind victory.

“JB was just doing his thing,” Mikal Bridges said postgame. “When we need it most, he’s always going to be there and do that. If they’re going to keep letting him play one-on-one, then we’re just going to keep letting him do that.”

Overall, Brunson finished his outstanding effort with a stellar 42-point, 10-assist double-double while shooting an efficient 14-of-27 from the field and reeling in six boards.

He now has the most 30+ point, 10+ assist games in franchise history (12), the fifth-most 30+ point games (70), the third-most 40+ point games (18), and he became just the sixth Knick to finish with 40+ points and 10+ assists in a regular season game.

Most importantly, though, Brunson helped the team bounce back and finish off a massive five-game homestand against some of the top teams in the Western Conference with a record of 4-1.

“I’m just trusting what I do and not going outside of that,” Brunson said. “I’m trusting my work and everything I do. The confidence my teammates have in me and the coaches — I’m just trying to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team win.”