Jeremiah Fears does not live up to his name — he has no fears.

Not even the most majestic arena in the NBA was enough to intimidate the 19-year-old rookie of the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

On a night where the courtside seats at Madison Square Garden were filled with celebrities such as Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan, one of the biggest stars in the building was Fears. The Pelicans lost to the Knicks 121-116, but not before Fears showed that the bright lights of New York City weren’t too big for him.

Fears came off the bench and finished with 21 points, three assists, two steals and one rebound. He shot 9 of 12 from the floor, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. 

“I thought he had a significant imprint on that game,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said. “He made big plays offensively, defensively and got to the rim. I thought he played a very mature game tonight. In a high-level game against a very physical, aggressive defense, he belonged in that game. And he turned the game and gave us a shot to win that game.”

It was one of Fears’ best games since the Pelicans drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick last summer. Zion Williamson, who led the Pelicans with 22 points on Tuesday, knows what it’s like to play well in a Madison Square Garden debut. When Williamson played his first game in the there five year ago in his second season, he poured in 34 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists. So Williamson was able to appreciate what Fears did in his first game at MSG.

“He was aggressive from start to finish,” Williamson said. “You can see his maturity in the game as he’s picking and choosing which spots he wants to get to and how he gets to them. He did his thing tonight.”

The 21 points were the most Fears has scored since pouring in a career-high 28 in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on the first day of March.

The Pelicans fell behind 98-92 early in the fourth quarter against the Knicks. That’s when Fears really got going. He scored 11 of the Pelicans’ next 13 points. His reverse layup closed the Pels’ deficit to 109-105. He followed that up with a steal that led to a Saddiq Bey layup.

“In the moment, you know he’s got it going,” Borrego said. “I think we all felt that. He definitely had it going, hitting big shots. There was a moment we could have gone back to Dejounte (Murray), but we rolled with Fears. I think it was the right call. He was fantastic.”

With 2:48 remaining, Borrego subbed in Murray for Fears, ending the rookie’s big night. But for Fears, it was a night he’ll always remember.

Now he’ll try to carry it over for the last nine games of the season, starting with Thursday’s road game against the Detroit Pistons.

“You recognize his aggression and his efficiency out there,” Borrego said. “The biggest thing with him is if he’s making the right play, you’ve got to live with that. And he is. He’s playing off two feet, not turning it over, getting shots on goal, putting pressure on the rim. He’s maturing. This second half of the season, he’s really elevated his game. The future is bright with that kid.”

Anyone who saw Fears playing under the bright lights of New York City on Tuesday night would agree.