New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson made franchise history during Friday night’s disappointing 114-109 home loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Jalen Brunson Recorded His 18th 30-Point Playoff Game With Knicks
Brunson reached 30 points in the postseason for the 18th time with New York since 2023, passing Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing for the most 30-point playoff games in Knicks history.
In 39 minutes of action, he finished with 36 points, three rebounds, 11 assists, and a steal. The two-time All-Star also shot 13-of-27 from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, and 5-of-5 at the foul line.
Through 14 games this postseason, Brunson is averaging 30.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 39.1 minutes per contest while shooting 45.6% from the floor, 35.8% from deep, and 83.2% at the free throw line.
However, a playoff loss is never a good night to celebrate.
Brunson missed on what would have been a long, game-tying 3-pointer with eight seconds to go, preventing the Knicks from falling into a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven series.
Indiana outscored New York 33-28 in the fourth quarter.
Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 14 points and 11 assists, and Myles Turner scored 13 of his 16 in the fourth quarter.
Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau Benched Karl-Anthony Towns
When asked about defending the Pacers and whether it requires more mental sharpness from the Knicks, Brunson said it does, but that none of that matters now.
“I guess, yeah. But we’re in the conference finals,” he said. “Nothing else matters right now. We have a game every other day. We’re playing in a high-stakes moment. The mental focus — everything — has to be there. There’s no question about it at this point.”
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, but Towns played just 28 minutes as coach Tom Thibodeau decided to stick with backup Mitchell Robinson, who grabbed nine rebounds.
Speaking to reporters after Game 2, Thibodeau explained he was “searching for a win” and chose to trust the group he had on the floor as the rationale for keeping Towns on the bench.
“Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” Thibodeau said. “So we were just riding [that lineup]. We’re searching for a win.”
NBA teams that trail 2-0 in the conference finals have a 6-76 all-time record in the series. No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.
The Knicks could potentially come back, but they will have to accomplish that feat on the road.
Indiana hosts the Knicks for Game 3 on Sunday night.
