Jalen Brunson didn't wait for crunch time. The Knicks captain hung 22 points on the Bulls in the first quarter alone Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, finishing with 33 as New York rolled Chicago 135-105.

OG Anunoby added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 in a balanced offensive breakout that pushed the Knicks back to .500 on the season.

The early avalanche answered the biggest question hanging over New York's start. Brunson's shooting numbers had lagged through the opening weeks, but he wasn't worried — on Tuesday he chalked the slump up to 'missing shots I normally' make, per Yahoo Sports. One night later, the shots fell, and they fell immediately: instead of playing his usual closer role, Brunson buried Chicago before the game ever got competitive.

For a Knicks team searching for offensive rhythm, a 30-point blowout built on a first-quarter detonation is the cleanest possible proof of concept. Chicago, run off the Garden floor early, never made it a game.