What started out as a get-right game for the Knicks took a sharp U-turn when Brook Lopez blocked Jalen Brunson’s shot three minutes into the second half and Brunson immediately grabbed his shoulder, motioned to the bench and walked down the tunnel toward the locker room. 

But he popped back out of the tunnel six minutes later, reentered the game to “MVP” chants and picked up where he left off — finishing with 44 points to secure his second 40-point game this season during the Knicks’ dominant 140-106 win over the Bucks on Sunday afternoon at the Garden.

Two days after the Knicks (26-14) were embarrassed by the Thunder and booed off their home court amid a stretch in which they dropped four of five games, they sank 18 3-pointers to snap out of their funk and finished five points shy of their season high with Brunson, predictably, as the centerpiece. 

“It says a lot about us,” Brunson said, “but we gotta continue it. I don’t really want to have a lot of bounce back days.” 

Brunson erupted for 23 of the Knicks’ 36 points in the first quarter, hitting 7 of 11 shots, attempting seven free throws and mixing 3s with shots inside the arc for a balanced blend of scoring that had been missing in recent games.

That “just opens things up” for the rest of the offense, Josh Hart said. Brunson could drive and make plays from the paint. His early spike in 3-point attempts wasn’t intentional, Brunson said, but he made those, too. 

“He’s a great player and he demands attention,” Hart said, “but obviously, when he gets it going like that, then obviously sometimes they start firing, they start blitzing him and everything’s kinda playing 4-on-3. And we’re able to just get open shots and play to our strengths.” 

Then, when he stayed on the bench to start the second quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns (30 points) took over.

Back on Nov. 8, when the Knicks cruised past the Bucks in their first meeting of the season, Towns torched Lopez before Doc Rivers — amid what he called Milwaukee’s worst game of the season — switched Giannis Antetokounmpo onto Towns.

That matchup worked in the Bucks’ favor again to start Sunday’s game, with Towns limited to just five points in the opening quarter. 

But by halftime, Towns had 18 points.

He kept driving with Antetokounmpo (24 points) on the bench and Bobby Portis inheriting the defensive assignment.

Brunson contributed only four points that frame, but the Knicks didn’t need another 23-point burst. They still built a 13-point lead at the break. 

Then, the injury scare happened. Then, everything was in flux for the Knicks. Brunson went back to the locker room with what head coach Tom Thibodeau described as a shoulder “stinger,” underwent some strength tests and made the decision to return after feeling good enough.

Brunson didn’t provide any hints about his status for Monday night’s game against the Pistons, when the Knicks complete a back-to-back, but he poured in 10 points after checking back into the game — which Thibodeau called “inspiring.” 

A 17-3 run to start the third quarter bookended Brunson’s trip to the locker room and helped the Knicks put the game away.

This time, they didn’t blow a double-digit lead against a team that could be contending when the calendar flips to May and June — like they did on Jan. 3 against the Thunder.

This time, they weren’t booed off their home court, which happened Friday against Oklahoma City. 

“We’re not gonna be perfect,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll have some games we fall short … [But] the idea is to be playing your best at the end.” 

This, for one game, looked a little bit closer to normal — especially once Brunson played his final possession with more than five minutes left in the fourth, the injury scare fading and the “MVP” chants echoing through the Garden as he strolled to the bench and the Knicks, finally, resembling the version that carried their nine-game winning streak before they lost four of five. 

They desperately needed a victory. And their captain carried them to it.