Jalen Brunson Scores 39, Pushes Celtics to Brink

Villanova alumnus Jalen Brunson put up another clutch playoff performance on Monday, May 12, scoring 39 points — including 18 in the third quarter and 27 in the second half — as the New York Knicks erased a 14 point second half deficit, claiming a 3-1 series lead over the heavily favored Boston Celtics with a 121-113 win.

Brunson made 14-of-25 shots, including 4-of-8 threes and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also added 12 assists to just one turnover. This marked the sixth time in ten playoff games this season that Brunson cleared the 30-point barrier, and his first since carrying New York to a series win over Detroit on May 1.

Something light for Jalen Brunson. 39 of em and the Knicks are up 3-1 (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/li2ixjazPG

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 13, 2025

Fellow Villanova alumnus Mikal Bridges played a game high 44 minutes and continued to do the little things for the Knicks. Although his 23 points were nothing to sneeze at, the seven rebounds, four steals and one block that Bridges added helped turn the game decisively in New York’s favor.

When Boston called a timeout with 3:21 to play and trailing 111-104, Bridges helped prevent any chance of a rally, stealing a pass from Jayson Tatum and feeding it to OG Anunoby for a dunk. The play came amidst an 11-0 run for the Knicks that helped put the game fully out of reach.

Josh Hart, the third of the ‘Nova Knicks’ trio, spent much of the game in foul trouble, playing just 30 minutes after landing on the wrong side of a pair of whistles in the first quarter. Nevertheless, he contributed seven points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Knicks need just one more win to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.