The New York Knicks look fully back to their old selves after a 127-97 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers for the team's fifth-straight win. 

Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 26 points while shooting 8-20 from the field along with three assists, two steals and a rebound and Brunson's scoring performance not only helped the Knicks along to a dominant win, but helped him cross a major career milestone. 

Brunson scored his 10,000th career point with a free throw in the third quarter just midway through his eighth season in the NBA. 

Brunson is in his fourth season with the Knicks after beginning his career with the Dallas Mavericks and his in his relatively brief time in New York he has breathed new life into the franchise, often leading them into playoff contention and becoming the undisputed face of the franchise. 

He's thrived in that role. Averaging 27.6 points, six assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, Brunson has earned his third-straight All-Star selection and his second straight as a starter. 

Throughout the Knicks brief struggles before their resurgent winning streak Brunson was the constant bright spot willing his team to recovery.

Paired with Karl-Anthony Towns, who contributed to Friday's win in his own way with a massive 20 rebounds, the duo have transformed the Knicks into a regular threat in an Eastern Conference that's up for grabs and represent the best shot the Knicks have had in a long time to return to the glory of the NBA Finals. 

There's still long way to go before that can happened, of course, but the Knicks' win streak has improved the team's record to 30-18 and returned them firmly to the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind only the Detroit Pistons. 

The Knicks primary struggle during their rough patch was a lack of defense and specifically, a lack of defensive effort. 

That's been the biggest turnaround that the Knicks have exhibited during their hot streak and it's what Knicks head coach Mike Brown has been most pleased with.

"The way the guys are on a string, that is at a pretty high level," Brown said (via SNY Knicks). "We connected all the time offensively, defensively, in and off the floor, but especially defensively because shots aren't going to go in all the time and you've got to be able to hang your hat on something if shots aren't going in." 

Led by Brunson and Towns, the Knicks have regained the momentum that they were losing fast and now it's up to them to keep that up and turn their winning streak into a winning standard.