The New York Knicks took a 2-0 lead but lost another key player to injury, Reggie Miller returned to Madison Square Garden as an announcer and still got booed and the referees had another rough fourth quarter. Here are three stars from Wednesday’s NBA playoff game.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson | 29 points, three steals
Brunson played only 32 minutes after he injured his foot and missed the second quarter, one that the Knicks lost 37-27. With an injured but still relentless Brunson on the court, New York outscored Indiana by 26 points, on the way to a 130-121 win in Game 2.
New York lost OG Anunoby (28 points) to hamstring soreness in the final quarter, which made Brunson’s performance all that more crucial. He did it without the benefit of the foul calls that got him 14 free throws in Game 1.
In Game 2, Brunson only took six foul shots, four of which were from a clock-stopping foul and two technical fouls in the game’s final seconds.
Brunson did this on the anniversary of Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, when the late Willis Reed, surprised the Los Angeles Lakers by playing with a severe leg injury. As the Knicks keep winning, Brunson is securing a place among the Knicks legends for himself.
New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo | 28 points, six 3PM
DiVincenzo made six three-pointers in Game 2, which would have matched Indiana’s Tyrese Halliburton’s total if not for Hali’s meaningless seventh three with 18 seconds left cut the game’s final margin to 130-121. He has 11 triples in two games, easily the most in the series. But he’s probably prouder about his dunking.
He also added six rebounds and four assists. But despite appearances, he did not head to the Knicks locker room to check on Brunson after his first-quarter injury.
Just like when he shoots from behind the arc, DiVincenzo tries to be as accurate as possible.
Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell | 10 points, 12 assists
The Pacers’ backup point guard changed the game when he came in during the first quarter, setting up his teammates for great shots and pushing the pace. McConnell shot 5-for-9, delivered 12 assists and was +10 in his 23 minutes.
But it was only 23 minutes. When the game got to crunch time, McConnell was a spectator.
The Knicks had a lot of success switching onto Haliburton on Indiana’s pick-and-rolls, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle thought McConnell’s towel-waving was more important than his playmaking.
All of the Pacers bench players had positive plus-minus ratings, with rookie Blake Sheppard leading the way with a +12 in 20 minutes. Sometimes those numbers can be deceiving, when reserves play against other reserves, but these Knicks play their starters all the time — Josh Hart never sits!
Besides Haliburton, McConnell was the Pacers’ biggest difference-maker in Game 2. He didn’t get a chance to affect the outcome late.
