The New York Knicks are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years, and they have Jalen Brunson in large part to thank for that accomplishment.
The star point guard led his team to a 121-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the second series in Madison on Tuesday, scoring 44 points on 18-of-35 shooting and adding seven assists. He grabbed 4 rebounds. square garden.
It's not just Brunson, Josh Hart (18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists) and Isaiah Hartenstein (7 points, 17 rebounds, 12 offensive rebounds, 5 assists) give New York a 3-2 series lead. helped guide. Pascal Siakam's consistent performance (22 points, 8 rebounds) wasn't enough for the Pacers, who need two straight wins to advance.
Unsurprisingly, it was Branson who garnered the most reaction from social media.
The home team has won every game in this series, but Tuesday is a game-changer for the Pacers given the momentum generated from the blowout win in Game 4 and injuries to OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring it about. Bogdanovic is on the opposite side.
New York had other plans.
The Knicks took advantage of the crowd's energy and dominated the game early on, taking a 15-point advantage at halftime. Brunson was completely unstoppable, getting into the lane and overwhelming every defender Indiana threw at him, scoring 28 points in the first half.
Brunson was the clear star, but he was far from a one-man show.
New starter Myles McBride and Hart each provided a spark with their shooting strokes, and Hartenstein dominated the Pacers offensively, creating second chances for perimeter playmakers.
The introduction of Donte DiVincenzo got into multiple scuffles, which further excited the crowd, and the Knicks gained momentum heading into the fourth quarter with an extended lead.
That was enough cushion to absorb Siakam's brief run, and still put the result in no doubt. Fittingly, Brunson ended that spurt with an acrobatic shot in the lane during a play that summed up the night for both the star guard and the Pacers.
As a result, the Knicks will have a chance to settle it when the series returns to Indiana in Game 6 on Friday.
