Jalen Brunson made a triumphant return from a right foot injury to lead the New York Knicks to a 130-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brunson scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half, sparking the Knicks to a 2-0 series lead.
On the anniversary of Willis Reed’s iconic Game 7 appearance in the 1970 NBA Finals, Brunson’s performance sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. He missed the entire second quarter while the Pacers surged ahead, but his second-half resurgence helped the Knicks secure a crucial win.
Despite facing injuries that have sidelined key players, including Tyrese Haliburton who was ejected from Game 2 following two technical fouls, the Knicks received strong contributions from Brunson, as well as his Villanova teammates Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. DiVincenzo scored 28 points while Hart contributed 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists to help propel the Knicks to victory.
OG Anunoby also had a standout performance with a career playoff high of 28 points before leaving game with an injury in third quarter. While Brunson fell short of scoring 40 points for fifth consecutive playoff game he provided exactly what knicks needed to take commanding series lead.