Scenes from Jalen Brunson winning Game Two on one foot

Today, Nikola Jokic received his third NBA MVP honors. The New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson placed fifth in the voting. We humbly submit the following game with our petition for a re-vote.

Game Two of the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers was tightly contested to start. After a duel between OG Anunoby and Tyrese Haliburton, the teams finished the first quarter tied at 36 points. With Jalen Brunson sidelined by a sore foot, the Knicks suffered a 17-point swing in the second quarter and trailed the Pacers 73-63 at halftime, despite 10 more points from Anunoby. Jalen returned to eviscerate the Pacers 36-18 in the third quarter, and although Indy gave a valiant effort to cut their deficit to one point in the fourth—aided by an Anunoby hamstring injury—the Nova Knicks took over in crunch time to secure the 130-121 victory.

We’ve exhausted our supply of superlatives to describe the greatness of Jalen. On one foot, he finished the game with 29 points, 24 in the second half. He had five assists, three steals, and shot 11-of-18 from the floor. The Knicks won by nine, and Jalen finished with a +26. New York takes a 2-0 lead as the series heads to Indiana.

For the Pacers, Haliburton finished with 34 points and bench player Obi Toppin added 20 points (7-of-10 FG).

OG Anunoby had set a new playoff career-high of 28 points (on 10-of-19 shooting) in 28 minutes before hurting his hammy. Josh Hart logged another double-double, of course, with 19 points, 15 boards, seven assists, one steal, and a block. Played 48 minutes again. It’s early still, but Josh Hart may be my Halloween costume.

Not to be outdone, Isaiah Hartenstein recorded his own 14-point, 12-board double-double, and added eight assists. And Donte DiVincenzo shot 50% from the field and downtown, racking up 28 points.

First Half

The Pacers came out with a renewed commitment to defense, applying full-court pressure. Indeed, both teams worked hard for every bucket. New York made six of their first nine attempts to hold a slim 13-10 by midway through the quarter. The Knicks tried to get OG Anunoby going early and, aside from a missed dunk, he proved too tough for the visitors to handle. He led the Knicks with 12 points in the period while shooting 5-of-8 from the field.

The Knicks rode a 15-3 run to put some breathing room on the board. Indiana caught up on an 11-0 stretch of their own. The Knicks had shot 76% from the floor and 50% from deep. They’d be blowing out the Pacers if not for Tyrese Haliburton. The NBA’s assist leader scored six points in game one but 13 in the first quarter tonight. The teams were tied at 36 after the first 12 minutes.

At 3:32 in the first quarter, Jalen Brunson subbed out and went to the locker room. He didn’t play in the second quarter, and while we awaiting word about his absence, New York worked hard to keep the pace with Indy but suffered a 17-point swing. Anunoby did his best to keep New York alive, scoring another 10 points in the quarter to finish the half with 22. Equally relentless, Haliburton also racked up 22 by intermission.

Late in the quarter, we learned that Brunson was questionable to return with a sore right foot. Coincidentally, the Knicks went down by 11 points. With under two minutes left, Donte DiVincenzo dropped five points to stave the bleeding. The ghost of Alec Burks checked in right before halftime to let Miles McBride take a blow. He bricked at the buzzer. Knicks down, 73-63. Yup, 73.

Both teams had scored 32 points in the first half. Indiana had the edge with second-chance points, 12-4, rebounds, 21-18, and assists, 19-13. New York had outshot the Hoosiers, 58% to 57%, but Indiana was cooking from deep making 10-of-19.

Second Half

Upon hearing that producer and musician Steve Albini died today, I told a friend that Albini’s stubbornness was unmatched. I forgot about Jalen Brunson. Despite the sore foot, Jalen returned to start the second half. He looked perfectly fine dishing to DiVincenzo for this corner three.

A minute later, Brunson was flattened by a Myles Turner offensive foul. Another minute later, he made a contested layup in traffic and smashed the floor. He hit the And-1 free throw. Durable? His skeleton is adamantium. With Jalen back, New York screamed on a 25-8 run to spin the Hoosiers’ heads.

Then Anunoby, sitting on a playoff career-high of 28 points, pulled up lame on a fastbreak with an apparent hammy issue. He limped to the locker room. Another essential Knick injured. . . . After surrendering 73 points in the first half, New York held Indy to 18 points in the third. With the crowd shaking the roof of the Garden, the home team brought a 99-91 lead into the final frame.

The TNT crew reported that Anunoby’s sore hamstring had finished his night. Tom Thibodeau went small to start the fourth, with a lineup of Brunson, Deuce, DiVincenzo, Hart, and Precious Achiuwa. They fought hard, but a 10-3 Indiana run reduced their lead to a sliver. TJ McConnell was a nuisance to Jalen, and things got chippy between them. When Nembhard returns, however, all lights go green.

Crunch time is when the Nova Knicks shine the brightest. Jalen and Josh hit timely buckets, then Donte hounded Haliburton and picked off his pass. DiVo swished a corner three, and Precious hammered home a dunk to give the Knicks a seven-point lead with 3:38 left.

With two minutes left, Haliburton hit two freebies to keep us sweating, but Donte swished another triple to get us screaming. Aaron Nesmith hit a three-pointer to make it a six-point differential. There was a contested double-dribble by Hartenstein that was overturned (and nearly caused Rick Carlisle to stroke out), Precious grabbed yet another clutch board, and Jalen humiliated Nembhard on this play to ice the game. Everything after that? Pure gravy, baby.

Up Next

The Knicks have played eight playoff games, and I’ve suffered eight heart attacks. Game Three will be played in Indiana on Friday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score