Would it be unfair to think that the peak of Brandon Jennings’ career was reached in his seventh game? That nothing in his career (555 games in the regular season) has managed to match this moment?
This finding is undoubtedly unfair, but not entirely false. The point guard had good seasons with the Bucks, then his end of career was tasteless, with too frequent club changes, a very serious injury and tasteless statistics. And among his beautiful years in Milwaukee, there is one date that remains: November 14, 2009.
Jennings is playing only his seventh career game there. His debut is very interesting (20.7 points on average over the first six matches, 45% success at 3-pts) and he reminds with his qualities and his physique a certain Allen Iverson.
29 points in the third quarter!
For this reception of the Warriors and another rookie future strong scorer, Stephen Curry, Jennings starts very slowly. After the first quarter, he still hasn’t scored a single point… When the break comes, he only posts 10 points on his counter.
It is in the third quarter that Jenning changes dimension. The Milwaukee left-hander scored 29 points at 12/13 in the shoot! Penetrations, 3-point shoots, dribbling, everything goes in front of a delirious audience with each basket.
“I’ve never seen anything like it”says Bucks winger Hakim Warrick. “He carried the team on his shoulders. As soon as he shot, we knew it was going to fit. He was in total control. “
With this heat stroke, the Warriors are on the ropes. They manage to react in the last act, but cannot resist the 16 points added by Jennings. 10 points in the second quarter, 29 in the third and 16 in the last: 55 points in total! And a victory for Milwaukee (129-125).
“The Warriors went under the screens and, in the first half, I did not take advantage”, underlines the MVP of the evening. “In the second half, I decided to shoot until it came in. I put the first two shots and then the basket seemed bigger and bigger to me. I didn’t miss anything. “
He erases Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the tablets
This remarkable performance is obviously historic. Jennings breaks the franchise record for a rookie, which dated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 51 points in 1969-1970. And the point guard only failed two units from the all-time franchise record, Michael Redd’s 57 points in November 2006.
Never since Earl Monroe’s 56 points in February 1968 has a rookie been so prolific in a game. Of course, the record for a rookie still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, 58 points twice during the 1959-1960 season.
“He put 55 points in three quarters”, notes Scott Skiles, coach of the Bucks at the time. “It’s a very impressive performance, for any player. And even more for a rookie who is playing his seventh game. “
