Villanova in the Pros: Jalen Brunson Leads 20 Point Comeback

Villanova alumnus Jalen Brunson helped the New York Knicks overcome a 20 point second half deficit on the road on Monday, May 1, claiming game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Boston Celtics with a 108-105 overtime win.

Brunson scored a game-high 29 points with four rebounds, five assists and two steals, singlehandedly going on an 11-2 run in a span of less than two and a half minutes in the fourth quarter to put New York ahead 97-91. The seventh year point guard added a trio of three-point makes during the run, one on a dish from fellow Villanova alumnus Mikal Bridges, who assisted on three separate threes in the fourth period alone.

The late game heroics come as no surprise for Brunson, who cleared the 30-point barrier during five of the Knicks’ six first round games against Detroit (including a 40-point effort in the series-deciding sixth game) and earned the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award for his ability to raise his level of play in crunch time.

Bridges, who logged a game-high 51 minutes, finished the day with eight points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, scoring the eventual game-winner in the overtime period before sealing the win, stealing the ball away from Celtics’ star Jaylen Brown with one second to play.

The third of the Villanova Knicks trio, Josh Hart, added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds despite running into foul trouble in the first quarter, receiving two whistles in less than a minute.

Fellow Wildcats’ alumnus Donte DiVincenzo remains active in the NBA Playoffs as well. His Minnesota Timberwolves will begin their semifinal series against the Golden State Warriors at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6.