Jalen Brunson scored 44 points, surpassing 40 for the sixth time this playoffs, and the New York Knicks advanced to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000 with a 121-91 victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The Knicks returned from a blowout defeat on Sunday, securing at least one more game at Madison Square Garden in front of their raucous fans, who had been longing to see huge games in late April again. Josh Hart recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Deuce McBride scored 17 points after being moved into the starting lineup.
The No. 2-seeded Knicks can win the series on Friday night at Indiana, following the series' first two-day break. Caitlin Clark will make her WNBA home debut with the Indiana Fever on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Brunson injured his right foot in Game 2 and was restricted to 18 points Sunday, his lowest total of the series, as the Pacers dominated the Knicks, 121-89. He said that he was well and that there was no cause to worry about Tuesday.
Pulling up swiftly for 3-pointers off the dribble or utilizing his sequence of fakes and spins to set up easy shots in the lane, Jalen Brunson shot 18 for 35 and looked like the guy who finished fifth in MVP voting this season, rather than the one who shot 10 for 26 in Game 3 and 6 for 17 on Sunday.
New York Knicks haven't made the conference finals
He scored 28 points in the first half, setting a Knicks playoff record, and then sealed the game in the fourth with seven consecutive points, including a three-point play that made it 106-86 with 7:57 remaining. Brunson scored consecutive baskets for a 13-point advantage early in the second quarter, followed by the first shot in a 9-0 run that put it 65-47 with 2:11 left.
The Knicks haven't made the conference finals since the Pacers defeated them in 2000, the sixth meeting between the two teams in eight years. This game featured some of the ferocity of the 1990s Knicks-Pacers, with five technical fouls. The series returns to Indiana for Game 6 on Friday, with Game 7 if necessary scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
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