BRUNSON BREAKS THE BRACKET: DEVILS 92, ACES 68

Jalen Brunson did not start Game 1. He simply made sure nobody remembered that once he entered.

The New Jersey Devils opened their first-round series against the Atlantic City Aces with a 92-68 win, and Brunson supplied the kind of performance that can change an entire matchup in one shift. In 13 minutes off the bench, the captain scored 39 pointsWatch highlight, shot 14-for-21 from the field, buried 10 of 11 threes, committed zero turnovers and finished plus-26.

New Jersey’s shooting was nearly as absurd as Brunson’s line. The Devils went 18-for-21 from three as a team. Grayson Allen and Cooper Flagg combined to make four of five from deep, punishing Atlantic City whenever the defense tilted too far toward Brunson.

The Aces never found enough relief on the other end. Derrick Rose led Atlantic City with 15 points and seven assists, but LaMelo Ball, Zach Edey and Scottie Pippen kept pressure on the perimeter and around the paint. The game also came with a costly Atlantic City injury: Bam Adebayo left with a strained right MCL.

Game 1 was not merely a win. It established the central problem Atlantic City would spend the rest of the series trying to solve: New Jersey could open with one group, then bring its most destructive scorer into the game after the first wave had already softened the defense.

Devils 92. Aces 68. New Jersey 1-0.