Jalen Brunson put on a show at The Garden with a star-studded crowd sitting court side on Monday night.
The Knicks point guard dropped 40 points to defeat the Nets, 124-106, which snapped a nine-game losing streak against Brooklyn — and Iggy Azalea was fired up.
Brunson and Azalea met on the court, where they shared a moment together after the game. The smiling pair hugged before they exchanged pleasantries, with Brunson holding a towel near his mouth.
It’s unclear what was discussed, although the NBA star and Australian rapper appeared friendly.
The 26-year-old New Jersey native, Brunson added five assists and two rebounds in the winning effort — which pushed the seventh-place Knicks within two games of the Nets for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
It marked Brunson’s third 40-point performance of the season — a feat he never accomplished in the regular season during his first four years with the Mavericks.
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Brunson steered the Knicks to a victory after a decisive 17 points in the third quarter when the game was tied at 80.
It was the first time the Knicks defeated the Nets in three years.
Josh Hart added a season-high 27 points in his second game with the Knicks after he was acquired from the Trail Blazers before last week’s NBA trade deadline.
The Knicks agreed to trade Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and a protected first-round pick to Portland in exchange for Hart — who is Brunson’s former college teammate at Villanova.
“Obviously seeing him play in college and he was amazing and I knew he would have a long career in the NBA, but I didn’t think it was going to be how he’s playing now,” Hart said after the game. “And he’s someone who should be an All-Star and he’s playing at an All-Star level.”
Julius Randle, who was named as a reserve in this year’s All-Star game, added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
The Knicks visit the Hawks on Wednesday.
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