Jalen Brunson Goes Off for 36 Points, But Knicks Fall in 2-0 Hole

Villanova alumnus Jalen Brunson scored 36 points with 11 assists on Friday, May 23, bringing his rolling average for the postseason above the 30 point barrier. Despite his heroics, the Knicks fell into an 0-2 hole in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers, losing 114-109. The seventh-year guard is now averaging 39.5 points per game in the series.

Jalen Brunson scored ten points in the fourth quarter, helping the Knicks close within a point with 14.2 seconds to play on an assist to fellow Villanova product Josh Hart, but he missed a game-tying three-point attempt on the Knicks’ next possession. They drew no closer.

Hart scored six points with six rebounds in 29 minutes, an uncharacteristic off night for the versatile guard as Knicks’ head coach Tom Thibodeau attempted to juggle the lineup and create a spark.

Mikal Bridges, the third member of the ‘Nova Knicks’ trio, also scored ten of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, adding seven rebounds, two assists and two steals on the day in a game-high 45 minutes played. 

The Knicks’ series now heads to Indiana, where they’ll face the Pacers at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, attempting to climb out of the hole they’ve dug. Elsewhere in the NBA, Villanova alumnus and 2018 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Donte DiVincenzo faces the same 2-0 deficit as his Minnesota Timberwolves struggle against the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.