Jalen Brunson’s matchup with CJ McCollum looms large going into Game 3 of Knicks-Hawks playoff series

Acquired in the January trade that sent longtime Knicks adversary Trae Young to Washington, the chatty McCollum has himself emerged as New York’s latest sports villain during this series.

He scored a game-high 32 points on Monday night and is averaging 29.0 points per game on 54.8% shooting overall.

“[Brunson has] guarded [Jonathan] Kuminga, CJ, Alexander-Walker and [Dyson] Daniels. He’ll guard Gabe [Vincent], if Gabe’s on the floor, as well,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said Wednesday.

“At the end of the game, what they’re gonna do, obviously — and what they did last game — they’re gonna bring Jalen up into a pick-and-roll, and we’ve just got to make sure we keep giving them different looks.”

This has been an uneven series for the even-keeled Brunson, who set the tone in the Knicks’ 113-102 win in Game 1 with 19 points in the first quarter.

But in the seven quarters since then, Brunson has shot 11-of-37 (29.7%) from the field, with Daniels and Alexander-Walker serving as his primary defenders. With about 15 seconds remaining Monday and the Knicks down by two, Alexander-Walker stripped Brunson, leading to a crucial change of possession.

Overall, Brunson is averaging 28.5 points per game on 39.6% shooting in the series.

“We’ve just got to keep trying to move him around and give him different looks throughout the course of the game,” Brown said.

Of course, Brunson has rebounded from slow playoff stretches in the past. Last year, Brunson shot 38.1% over the first three games of the Knicks’ second-round series against the Boston Celtics, only to erupt for 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting in Game 4.

Brunson’s performance on both ends Thursday will go a long way in deciding the Game 3 outcome.

“You’ve got four guys that [are] behind him, that [are] gonna help him,” Knicks forward Mikal Bridges said. “Just know [the] personnel, who we guard and how we guard them, and then do your best to stay in front. You’ve got help behind you.”