Villanova in the Pros: Inevitable Jalen Brunson Leads Another Comeback

Former Villanova Wildcat Jalen Brunson caught fire in the fourth quarter once again on Sunday, April 27 as the Knicks pulled out a 94-93 road comeback, closing within one win of advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Brunson cleared the 30 point barrier for the fourth game in a row, putting up 32 points and 11 assists on 13-of-26 shooting. The 2018 second round pick, who won the NBA’s Kia Clutch Player of the Year award this season thanks to his penchant for late game heroics, scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks erased a double digit deficit. Brunson contributed to six more points in the frame, assisting on a pair of three-point shots. Fellow former Wildcat Mikal Bridges knocked down one of those threes, his second of the quarter… the other came on an assist from Josh Hart.

Brunson’s roommate at Villanova and current Knicks teammate, Hart put up a double-double in New York’s win, adding 14 points, ten rebounds, five assists and four steals in his patented Jack of All Trades fashion.

Other Wildcats products currently active in the NBA playoffs include Donte DiVincenzo, a bench option for the Minnesota Timberwolves — currently up 3-1 in their first round series against the star-studded Lakers — and Cam Whitmore, often a healthy scratch for the Houston Rockets.