Jalen Brunson doesn’t aim to score 40 points consistently in a game more than anyone else in the postseason since Michael Jordan.
He values winning above all else, so making a late defensive stop is just as significant to him as any of his shots.
“The little things matter a lot,” Brunson said. “So while scoring 40 points is nice, it’s the small actions that contribute to winning games like this. I’m just grateful for the teammates I have.” And the New York Knicks are certainly happy to have him.
Brunson scored 43 points, becoming only the fourth player in NBA history with four consecutive 40-point games in the postseason, as the Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers 121-117 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.
Brunson’s impressive performance included 21 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Knicks to a comeback victory after trailing by nine early in the period. He now shares this achievement with basketball legends Jerry West, Michael Jordan, and Bernard King. Jordan accomplished this feat during the 1993 NBA Finals.
Donte DiVincenzo made a crucial 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, scoring 25 points for the Knicks. The game’s intense finish mirrored their close first-round victory over Philadelphia.
The Pacers narrowed the gap to one point, but Myles Turner was called for an offensive foul when DiVincenzo collided with him.
“I believe the way they operate, they’ve put a lot into this season and they’re dedicated every day,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau commented. “So, when you commit to each other like that, you’re not going to give up; you’re going to keep battling. That’s the spirit. We know we’re dealing with injuries. That’s our approach.”
Josh Hart had his best playoff performance with 24 points, along with 13 rebounds and eight assists. The Knicks, seeded second, will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
Turner scored 23 points for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who received strong contributions from their bench and were poised to replicate their first-round win over Milwaukee by taking the lead against the Knicks. But Brunson led New York through another close finish, following their narrow victory over Philadelphia in the first round.
“Playing in an arena like this, with the game coming down to the wire on the road in the playoffs, what more can you ask for?” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell remarked. “Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way. We just need to adapt and make some adjustments.”
Brunson outperformed fellow All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who leads the NBA in assists and finished with six points and eight assists after being questionable with back spasms.
Pascal Siakam scored 19 points for Indiana, while McConnell added 18, leading a bench that outscored New York’s bench by a huge margin of 46-3.
The Knicks don’t focus much on their bench; they rely heavily on Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo to carry them as far as possible.
Hart played the entire 48 minutes, DiVincenzo played 44, and Brunson played 43 1/2. Their efforts helped the Knicks take an early lead, their first lead in a series later than the first round since the 2000 East semifinals against Miami.
In that series, they lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, continuing their intense playoff rivalry that began in the 1990s. The teams faced each other three times in a row from 1993-95 and again from 1998-2000, when Thibodeau and Indiana’s Rick Carlisle were assistant coaches with their current teams.
The rivalry has resumed with an exciting start. McConnell’s basket made it 94-85 with about 10 1/2 minutes remaining, signaling an early end to what was supposed to be a break for Brunson.
However, he returned to ignite an 8-0 run, bringing the Knicks back into the game. When Indiana went ahead 109-104 with 4:27 left, Brunson scored seven points in a 9-0 run, giving New York a 113-109 lead.
Although the Pacers briefly regained the lead 115-113, Brunson tied the game, and then DiVincenzo’s three-pointer put the Knicks ahead, similar to his performance in the comeback against the 76ers last round. “It felt a bit like Game 2 of the previous series,” DiVincenzo commented.
Indiana’s bench, which was expected to be an advantage for the Pacers in the series, had a strong start in the second quarter. A 9-0 run just before halftime gave the Pacers a 55-46 lead. Hartenstein’s long shot from beyond halfcourt went in at the buzzer, making it a six-point game at halftime.
The Knicks went ahead by five points with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. However, the Pacers once again received a significant contribution from their bench.
McConnell scored three baskets, and former Knicks forward Obi Toppin had two impressive dunks—one where he put the ball between his legs, reminiscent of a move from a slam dunk contest. Indiana led 87-82 going into the fourth quarter after Turner’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Hartenstein and OG Anunoby both ended the game with 13 points.
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