For the fourth straight game, Jalen Brunson drops over 40 points, and leads the Knicks over the Pacers in Game 1, 121-117.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson has become the fourth player to score 40 or more points in four consecutive postseason games, the first since Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Brunson erupted for 21 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and finished with 43 overall as New York rallied from nine points down late to beat Indiana 121-117.
JALEN BRUNSON TAKES OVER GAME 1.
🔥 43 points
🔥 14-26 shooting
🔥 6 rebounds, 6 assists
🔥 Leads NYK to 1-0 series leadBrunson becomes the FIRST PLAYER EVER with 40+ points and 5+ assists in 4 straight playoff games! pic.twitter.com/XN7Ou8ECon
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2024
Jalen Brunson has recorded 30+points and 5+ assists in five consecutive playoff games. He is now the fifth player in NBA history to accomplish this, joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) May 7, 2024
Lakers Hall of Famer Jerry West holds the record with six consecutive games of 40 or more points, set during the 1965 postseason. Bernard King had four straight for the Knicks in 1984 and Jordan did it en route to his third straight championship.
“The little things can go a long way,” Brunson said. “So yeah, the 40 points are cool and all, but it’s the little things that help us win games like that. So I’m just happy to have the group of guys that I do.”
Brunson finished the first-round series against Philadelphia with games of 47, 40 and 41 points. He was the leading scorer in the first round with 35.5 points per game. He soundly outplayed fellow All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the NBA’s assists leader who finished with six points and eight assists after being listed as questionable with back spasms.
The No. 2-seeded Knicks will host Game 2 on Wednesday (8 ET, TNT).
