The duel between Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey will have hosted this intense series between the Knicks and the Pacers, and even the “money time” of this Game 6, but it is Jalen Brunson who will have had the last word! The All-Star leader was immense from start to finish with his 41 points and 12 assists, but we will remember his last six minutes where he imposed his leadership and his accuracy. Like on this pass 24 seconds from the end for Josh Hart's decisive 3-pointer.
Trailing by eight points two minutes from the end, the Sixers had just equalized (111-111) 35 seconds from the end by… Tyrese Maxey. In front of the screen, we say to ourselves that this is the biggest blow for the Knicks. The Sixers are 10-2. And then Jalen Brunson will take the entire defense on the left side, to better overthrow Josh Hart, alone in the axis. The winger is all alone, and he scores the winning 3-pointer!
Like at home in this room
At the microphone of TNT, Jalen Brunson admits that he couldn't dream of a better place to perform such a performance. Like Hart and DiVincenzo, he shone with Villanova in the Wells Fargo Center, and he punched his ticket to the second round.
“This room is incredible! Playing here in Philadelphia in front of a crazy crowd… If you look up, you see the 2016 and 2018 banners won with the Wildcats.” reacts the Knicks leader. “I'm just happy there were still tickets for Knicks fans to purchase.”
Shaq then asks him about the team's state of mind before this 6th round. The Knicks had just wasted an ammunition at home after a difficult finale.
“We knew that even when we are leading, they are capable of fighting to come back… The whole series was like that” he replies, before discussing his role after Julius Randle's injury. “My routine hasn't changed, although my role has obviously evolved with the loss of Julius. Even without him, we continued to fight, and that was the key all season for us. We are resilient. No matter what people outside say, whether positive or negative, we know what we have to do. We will stick together and that will not change. I like this way of thinking. »
Last night, Jalen Brunson signed a third game with at least 35 points and 10 assists in the series. Only Oscar Robertson had achieved such a feat in the history of the playoffs, and that was 51 years ago!
| Jalen Brunson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 73 | 22 | 46.7 | 34.8 | 72.5 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 57 | 18 | 46.6 | 35.8 | 81.3 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 8.2 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 68 | 25 | 52.3 | 40.5 | 79.5 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 12.6 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 79 | 32 | 50.2 | 37.3 | 84.0 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 16.3 |
| 2022-23 | NYK | 68 | 35 | 49.1 | 41.6 | 82.9 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2023-24 | NYK | 77 | 35 | 47.9 | 40.1 | 84.7 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 28.7 |
| Total | 422 | 28 | 48.9 | 39.1 | 82.4 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 16.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
