NEW YORK (AP) — The Knicks need one more step to reach the Eastern Conference finals, something they haven’t done since 2000.
And after a couple of very tough games, Jalen Brunson seems ready to reach that goal.
Brunson scored 44 points, reaching 40 for the fifth time this postseason, and New York routed the Indiana Pacers 121-91 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their playoff series.
The Knicks bounced back from the beating they suffered on Sunday, and made sure to play at least one more game at Madison Square Garden in front of their fans, eager to see relevant spring games again.
Josh Hart added 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Deuce McBride scored 17 points after joining the starting lineup.
Second-seeded New York can win the East semifinal Friday night at Indiana after the first two-day break in this series.
Caitlin Clark’s home debut in the WNBA is scheduled for Thursday, with the Indiana Fever. This led to the additional day of rest that may help the Knicks who are playing without four key players.
The seventh game, if necessary, will take place on Sunday afternoon.
“We still need one more win, so we can’t get too excited about this,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We have to understand what we need to do, stay focused on the task at hand. If you get overconfident, you get knocked down in this league. “We have to be ready.”
Brunson hurt his right foot in Game 2 and was limited to 18 points on Sunday, his lowest of the postseason. The Pacers defeated New York 121-89 in that game.
But Brunson insisted he was fine. On Tuesday he proved it.
2024-05-15 04:24:00
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