New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson has scored 47, 41, 40 and now 43 points over his past four games. Brunson has become the fourth player to score 40 or more points in four consecutive postseason games, the first since Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals.
“The little things can go a long way,” Brunson said. “So yeah, the 40 points are cool and all, but it’s the little things that help us win games like that. So I’m just happy I have the group of guys that I do. I just know that we’re going to fight every single day. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
Jalen Brunson has scored 47, 41, 40 and now 43 points over his past four games. Lakers Hall of Famer Jerry West holds the record with six consecutive games of 40 or more points, set during the 1965 postseason. Bernard King had four straight for the Knicks in 1984 and Jordan did it en route to his third straight championship.
Brunson erupted for 21 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and finished with 43 overall as New York rallied from nine points down late to beat Indiana 121-117.
Brunson has scored or assisted on 321 points in his past five games, the second most over a five-game span in NBA postseason history. He trails only Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic from last postseason (329 over five playoff games).
The final assist in Game 1 was the biggest. Just as he did in the last two victories over the 76ers, Brunson took advantage of defenders rushing at him to fire a laser to Donte DiVincenzo. His former Villanova teammate nailed a 3-pointer to break a 115-115 tie with 40 seconds left and provide the separation the Knicks rode to victory.
DiVincenzo, his college roommate, made the biggest plays on both sides of the ball, including a clutch trey with 40 seconds left to give the Knicks the lead for good. He took a pass from Brunson and buried the shot in rhythm.
“I felt it,” DiVincenzo said. “I believe every shot that I shoot is going in.”
DiVincenzo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, making 8 of 10 shots.
The third member of the Villanova Trio, Josh Hart added a playoff career-high 24 points and added 13 rebounds and eight assists.
And of course, OG Anunoby put his stamp on the game, including a steal and power slam in the ending moments of the game, much to former Knick point guard Stephon Marbury who was at the garden cheering on the hometown team.
Obi Toppin return to his hometown and first franchise when the Pacers faced off against the Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers forward returned to Madison Square Garden on Monday night to start a second-round series against his former team, the New York Knicks. The former Slam Dunk champ made a thunderous statement with a highlight dunk.
Toppin went between his legs and dunked with one hand.to give Indiana an 84-77 lead. The Brooklyn native and Ossining High School grad who started his career with the Knicks, returned to New York for Game 1 in the Eastern Conf. semifinals, Monday night. Obi finished the night with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assist in a losing effort to steal one against his former team.
Turner scored 23 points for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who got strong play from their bench and were in good shape to follow their first-round ouster of Milwaukee by jumping to the lead against the Knicks.
But Brunson guided New York through another tight finish, after it outscored Philadelphia by one total point over six games in the first round.
Brunson soundly outplayed fellow All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the NBA’s assists leader who finished with six points and eight assists after being listed as questionable with back spasms.
Pascal Siakam scored 19 for Indiana and McConnell added 18, leading a bench that finished with a whopping 46-3 advantage over its New York counterparts.
This is the renewal of a fierce Easter Conference rivalry.
The Knickz lost Eastern Conference finals to the Pacers in rivalry that began in the 1990s. The teams met three straight times from 1993-95 and again from 1998-2000 — when Thibodeau and Indiana’s Rick Carlisle were assistants with their current teams.
I think it’s safe to say the renewal is off to a pretty good start, and the Knicks are once against tough competitors to like they were in the 90s.
