A thrust in the third from Jalen Brunson served as the spark to a New York Knicks comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jalen Brunson scored 29 of his season-high 39 points in the second half for the visiting New York Knicks, who overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to beat the upset-minded New Orleans Pelicans 104-93 on Saturday.

The Knicks didn’t need their best to beat the Pelicans, but they needed Jalen Brunson to strap on his cape.  The Knicks started slowly Saturday against an overmatched opponent, trailing for much of the contest with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble and a disjointed offense.

New York was still able to dominate a bad basketball team with their star player not playing up to his potential.

Death, taxes and opposing defenses using long, physical defenders to guard Jalen Brunson. It’s the blueprint opponents have come up with in an effort to slow down the star Knicks guard whose singular scoring powered a battered Knicks roster to the Eastern Conference’s No.

The New Orleans Pelicans started the month of December with an embarrassing 33-point loss to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks were able to survive a slow start offensively and ended up beating the New Orleans Pelicans handily, 104-93, on Saturday night for their third straight win.