Head case: Jalen Brunson’s big brain tangles Sixers

NEW YORK -- The Sixers started the early part of Tuesday by concentrating on two things after their Game 1 crushing at the hands of the New York Knicks. 

One was recovery, as they simply seemed like a team without gas on Monday. The other was to dive into film with the coaches and try to figure out how they can perhaps steal a game at Madison Square Garden after a 39-point loss in the opener.

While the talk centered around the team having to be more physical and play with more intensity and different intangibles that were simply absent on Monday, the main focus should be, and maybe it was, how to do one thing. Contain Jalen Brunson.

Yes, the left-handed point guard busted the Sixers for 35 points. Including the last three games against the Sixers in the 2024 playoffs, Brunson is averaging 40.8 points in the last four playoff games against Philadelphia. 

Jalen Brunson is the first person to score 35+ points in 5 straight playoff games against the 76ers since...

Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/7hSfnt09Ki

— Underdog (@Underdog) May 5, 2026

And yes, he made 12 of his 18 shots from the field, including half of his six threes, and drilled all eight of his free throw attempts in his 30 minutes of play. But it's just so much more to Brunson's game than that, and if the Sixers don't figure a way to contain him quickly, that just may be how the series ends. Quickly.

Brunson is different. Annoyingly skilled, not with speed or quickness, but with guile. He can get his defender to go where he wants him to be, then use his body to take that defender out of the play while then studying his scoring or passing options. His unorthodox style isn't something opponents see from anyone else in the league, so the element of surprise of him pulling up, of him jumping into, of him pump faking, on a defender is a very hard problem to solve. 

And then when multiple players start paying attention to him, players like OG Anunoby shoot 7-for-8 from the floor, or the other four starters shoot 9-for-14 from three, have the night like they did on Monday.

His style doesn't scream NBA star, but his play and numbers certainly do. And he is that. Now, he has to become the number one focus for the Sixers if they are going to stop this speeding train that the Knicks are right now, having won their three playoff games by more than 33 points. During that time, Brunson has averaged 27.5 points, has made 56.3 percent from the floor, including 41.7 from three. He's also made 20-of-22 from the foul line.

"Crafty and disciplined," is how Kelly Oubre, Jr. described Brunson. "Fundamental. We just got to figure that out. We've been playing him for a long time and we know his game and we got to just be there, be in front of him."

Easier said than done, but a challenge the Sixers are willing to accept, what other choice do they have?

"He's a great player," said VJ Edgecombe, who took turns with Oubre and Paul George in trying to contain Brunson. "He's going to make adjustments and now it's time for me to make adjustments on how to guard. Just play hard, fight through. Make sure that I don't get hit by any screens, or anything like that. Just try my best to stay in front of him. Make him make difficult shots. He's going to make difficult shots. He's a good player."

"That's all he's doing."

VJ making sure the refs are aware of Brunson’s tendencies... pic.twitter.com/i1adkc2veU

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 5, 2026

There is no "letting Brunson get his" because his isn't a game that just is about his scoring. He controls the tempo like a video game. He's able to not only put the opposition's body in a pretzel trying to stop where he's going, but also their minds with his heady play. 

Simply, he's a pain in the ass to guard, with no real weaknesses to force him to have to go to. Even his hair plays a part in his success, according to Oubre.

"He has a big head. It's definitely tough to guard him with his head doing a lot," said Oubre while bobbing his head from side-to-side. "He's a great player. We've played against him many times, and we have to make the adjustments we saw on film. Kudos to him, he came out and started the series and did what they had to do at home. It's up to us to respond. And then you've got the braids. He's a very smart, tactical player, so he uses all that to his advantage. I'll be there. He can whip me all he wants, but he ain't getting free like that."

While Tuesday was all about resting and recovering the bodies, it was also about sharpening the minds, zoning in on what the Knicks did well and what the Sixers didn't.

"(We're a) confident group. We don't feel too high or too low," Oubre said of his team. "We kind of stay even-keeled but I think we also know in the back of our head that we're always capable of being better and doing more. We owe it to the city of Philadelphia, to our families, to just go out there and put on a better display of basketball."